Written In Ink
by Dexter's Sister
Summary: Two months have now passed since Sumi began her training, and she finally starting to come into her own, and what does Gaara have to do with it? After Striking a deal with the fox spirit, Naruto is preparing to learn a new move as well. ShikaTem.
1. Chapter 1

"Hurry, perverted hermit!" Naruto shouted back as he ran down the street.

"Don't worry," Jaraiyai responded as he strolled leisurely down the street, "it will still be there tomorrow." He chuckled to himself. This had been the first thing he could get the young ninja interested in since Sasuke ran away nearly a year and a half ago. Even then, he was only able to get him excited by suggesting he might learn a new technique or two.

The now fifteen-year-old Naruto was still as stubborn as usual. Though his personal mission to rescue Sasuke helped him get stronger, keeping his mind on that single task had reduced his already low attention span to zero. Leaving many of his new techniques messy and unrefined. His instructor had thought that the circus visiting their small village for the first time in over fifty-years would be a nice distraction.

This particular circus boasted feats by great illusionist and animal tamers. One of the reasons circuses came through so rarely was the fact that ninja villages such as theirs would quickly and easily identify the techniques that the performers would use. The only reason Jiraiya had even managed to see one was while on his travels in the other nations.

The Fith Hokage had decided to invite the traveling show to bring up the spirits of the people in the village and in a way reward them for all that they had been through.

Naruto was jumping up and down uncontrollably as they came up to the entrance of the tent. The energy seemed to pour off of him and cause the air around him to vibrate slightly. Jiraiya made a note of growth in his chakra for possible techniques in the future.

The crowd was humming with hushed whispers as the ring master stepped out. The fist act was a pair of acrobats that didn't really seem to impress the teen. By the time an hour had passed, Naruto was struggling just to stay awake.

"I could think of a lot better places to take a nap, Perverted hermit." He grumbled. "I should be training so that I can find Sasuke." He stopped his complaint when the lights grew dark once again, and the spot light landed on the ringmaster.

"And now for a once in a lifetime act." He gestured to accentuate his words. "Our very own Sumi will now put on a show for you that will not only boggle the mind, but defy all that you believe to be real."

"Probably just another cheap illusion jutsu or something." The skeptical youth mumbled. "I'm lea..." He stood frozen, hovering just above his seat as a loud roar shook the entire tent.

Everything grew silent as a young woman stepped into the spotlight. Her outfit was just as flashy and shiny as all of the other performers. She was backing into the spotlight. Though the pants she wore were large, baggy, and colorful her shirt was cut extremely low, leaving her back exposed to the crowd. However, no one's attention was on her back, but instead on the large tiger walking towards her, growling, snarling, and swatting its enormous paw at her.

"So, she's like Kiba, huh?" Naruto asked.

"Just watch." Jiraiya whispered.

As the crowd watched closely, the large beast stalked her around the floor, lunging at her randomly. She always seemed to dodge out of the way just in time. After about five minutes of stalking, the young woman did a flip and landed, straddling the tiger's head. It bucked and fought like a ragging bull. Its aggravation was apparent as it roared and swung it's massive skull from side to side.

The young woman seemed un-phased by th movement as she brought one hand into the air and smiled at the crowd. Her calm demeanor and smiling face is what finally caught Naruto's attention.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "She must be a very well trained ninja to be calm in a situation like that." Jiraiya just nodded, never letting his glance leave the stage. He didn't want to break it to the boy that the tiger was probably nothing more than a tamed animal putting on an act.

The eyes of the crowd were glued onto the performer that now seemed to be steering the ragging beast onto a small platform. Somehow, she not only got it onto the projected spot, but got it to be still. It looked as if it were fighting against some sort of invisible rope, or box that was now holding it in place.

"She is so awesome! That was so quick, I didn't even see her perform the seals!" Naruto was enthralled with the act.

"Thing is, neither did I." Jiraiya whispered to himself.

They continued to watch as she jumped off of the struggling tiger with an exaggerated somersault and landed perfectly on her feet. The crowd stood and began clapping as she bowed. A sudden hush swept through the spectators as the tiger suddenly broke free of its binds. The young woman continued to bow, oblivious to the danger behind her. Naruto jumped up, and was about to launch himself into the ring when his mentor's hand held him back.

As the mighty beast made contact with the woman she looked as if she didn't even feel it, before everyone there, the beast seemed to jump into her body and disappear.

This wrenched a gasp from the crowd followed by a torrential sea of applause. The young woman's grin grew even wider as she bowed and stepped off of the stage.

"She must have perfect chakra control to be able to make an illusion that solid." Naruto stated. "Do you think its a variation on the shadow clone technique?"

"I don't know." Jiraiya said carefully. "But I would like to go talk to her, come on, the show is close to being over anyway."

"You aren't going to be perverted and try playing with her, are you?" Naruto glared at the older man.

"Of course not." He replied. "She's too young for me. Still, you might have a chance." He smiled as Naruto shoved him. "I'm sorry," he laughed. "You're still holding out for Sakura."

That comment brought the depressed look back on the youth's face.

"No, it's been made quite clear that I have no chance with her. Even if Sasuke wasn't in the picture, I think Lee would be next in line."

"Oh." It just hit the man how much Naruto had grown emotionally since the start of his personal struggle. Still, he didn't want him to dwell on sadness. "Well, then we need to go talk to this girl. Maybe she can teach you her technique."

The two left the tent as more acrobats stepped into the ring. They took a path that lead them to the back of the tent. When they came around they were greeted by the sounds of an argument.

"Why won't you pay me?" a feminine voice shouted. "I was able to entertain the hardest audience that you've ever had, and you still won't give me what I deserve!"

"What you deserve is to be left behind!" A voice that was obviously the ring master's boomed. "I feed you, clothe you, put a roof over your head, and put up with your utter nonsense" The sound of someone being smacked echoed through the air.

Naruto looked into the tent to see the same young girl that had just performed on her knees holding her stinging cheek as the ring master pulled back for another blow. Anger spread over the youth's face as he sprang into action. He jumped in front of the girl and blocked the ring master's hand.

"Kid," The man snarled. "You better get out of my way, unless you want to take a beating as well." Before he could even blink, Naruto had both of the man's arms twisted behind his back.

"You need to be careful how you treat people." Jiraiya stated as he strolled into the tent. "Especially when you're in the presence of ninjas." He nodded and Naruto released the

ring master.

"Fine," the man spat. "She's your problem now." He shoved his way past the two strangers and the wide-eyed girl.

"Hi, I'm Naruto!" He leaned down and offered his hand to the girl. She smacked it away.

"What have you done?" She screamed as she jumped up and ran out of the tent.

"Um, what just happened?" Naruto asked.

"I think you need to go after your new girlfriend before she gets into trouble." Jiraiya stated. The boy huffed at the comment and took off after the girl.

She was definitely fast. She had headed straight for the village gate and was already in the surrounding forest. Still, she had spent the entire time on foot, making her easy to track, and even easier to catch-up with since he took to the trees.

She was running down a path when he dropped from the trees in front of her. She skidded to a stop and jumped back, glaring at him.

"Hey, hold on." He put is hands out in a non-threatening manner.

"How did you catch up to me so fast." She demanded.

"You really suck at hiding your tracks. You should have learned how to do that in basic ninja academy." He laughed, but suddenly jumped back as some thorny vines jumped at him. He flipped back out of the way.

When he landed, the vines were gone, and the girl was running at him with a dagger in each hand. He easily stopped her and pinned her to the ground.

"Geez, did you learn anything in school?" He held both of her wrists and sat on her back.

"I don't know what school you're talking about." She spat, "But, I'm not done yet."

Suddenly Naruto's hands were bound in thorny vines that appeared to be growing out of her hands.

"What kind of illusion is this?" He asked.

"It's no illusion," she stated, then flipped him onto the ground in front of her. She was ready to strike a blow, when she felt a blade pressed to her throat.

"It would probably be a good idea for you to calm down, and have all of us talk civilly." Jiraiya stated from behind her.

"So, what's your name?" Jiraiya questioned as Naruto dug into his ramen.

"Sumi," She replied quietly. "Sumi Tsuwomono."

"Is that your real name?" He asked carefully.

"No, the ring master called me that, but I was too young wen he picked me up to remember my real name." She said.

"How old were you?"

"Maybe two or three. All I know is that my mother didn't want me anymore and the circus took me in, but only because I can do something no one else can." She stirred the food in front of her with her chopsticks. "What is this stuff?"

"It's ramen!" Naruto answered happily as he dug into another bowl. "What? How can you not have had ramen before?"

"This doesn't look anything like the ramen we have where I'm from." She picked at it a bit. "Where I'm from it comes dry in packs, then you just add hot water. Naruto looked offended.

"What?" He squawked. "Where are you from that you don't have ninja school, and ramen is treated so roughly?"

"A place on the other side of the ocean." She tested a round white object with a red swirl in the middle.

"Then how do you speak our language so well?" Jiraiya asked.

"We all had to learn it before we came over, plus I ran away when we first landed and had to be able to communicate to make my way around." She hungrily dug into the bowl in front of her. "This stuff is great!" She wolfed down the rest and slammed down the bowl.

"More please!" She yelled in unison with Naruto.

"You should try the barbecue pork and miso!" He smiled at her.

"Okay!" She smiled back.

"Oh Kami, we've picked up another one." mumbled Jiraiya.


	2. Chapter 2

"What!" Naruto Screamed. 

"Oh, no, no, no, no." Sumi followed up. "I'm sure I could find somewhere else to stay. Wouldn't be the first time I've had to sleep in the woods."

"Nope, you are staying with Naruto." Jiraiya stated. He then turned to the boy. "You heard the ring master, she is now your responsibility."

"Wait you perverted hermit!" He shouted. "He was talking to you!"

"You were the one that stepped in, and it's because I'm a perverted hermit that she can't stay with me." The elder man pointed out. "Think of it as a mission!"

"Only Granny Tsunade can hand out missions." The boy countered. "Besides, I already have a mission."

"I'm going to talk to her tomorrow about it, until then, what I say goes." Jiraiya stated as he jumped away.

"I'm sorry that I'm so much trouble." Sumi quietly stated. "You should never have helped me."

"It's okay." Naruto said. "It's not you, but the idea of someone staying in my place. It's barely big enough for me. That, and no offense, but you're a girl. People might talk."

"I understand what you're saying, but think of it this way, you'll save money on rent." She joked.

"I thought they didn't pay you." He asked. "That is kind of how this started."

"Well, they didn't, but I was always the one they would send shopping and on small errands. I managed to save a few dollars here and there. Not like I had a chance to spend it. They would have noticed if I had anything new in the circus. They watched me like a hawk, everyone seemed to hate me and just waited for me to screw up." She said.

"Wow, sounds a lot like me growin' up." Naruto said. "Never knew my parents, and it seemed like everybody hated me because of something I had no control over. Only time they ever seemed to acknowledge me was when I did something wrong."

"Then I guess you know how I feel." She suddenly smiled and changed. "So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

"I guess I can show you where you'll be staying." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. "Not like I can leave the village."

"Why not?" She questioned.

"Well, it kinda has to do with the thing that makes me special." He said. "Some guys are after me right now, and I'm not allowed to leave the village without the perverted hermit or I'll be tracked down and brought back by the ANBU."

"Who's that?" Sumi asked.

"The villages elite ninja." He gave her a funny look. "You really don't know much about how things work around here?"

"Nope," The only people I managed to meet when I ran from the circus were farmers and a few holy men."

"Holy men?" He raised his eyebrows. "Why them?"

"Been trying to make myself normal." She turned her gaze to the clouds.

"Oh? Do you have a cursed seal too?"

"Cursed seal?" She cocked her head to the side.

Naruto lifted his jacket and showed off his belly button. He channeled a little of his chakra so that the seal would appear. Sumi bent down and traced the swirl with her finger.

"Cool, you have a tattoo." she stated mesmerized. Naruto began to chuckle a bit because she was tickling them.

"No, this is a seal, don't you have one?" He asked as he brought down his shirt.

"No, I have tattoos." She stated and pulled off her arm warmers. From palm to elbow was covered in green thorny vines. On the underside of each arm, a dagger was wrapped in the vines. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight.

"Those are awesome." He stated. "Oh, and by the way, "He gestured at the door they were standing in front of. "By the way, this is home sweet home." He opened the door, and stood back to let her in. "Can't say I didn't warn you." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'll give you the tour, but first, I have to use the bathroom." He ran past her and into what she assumed was the bathroom.

"Ugh!" She grunted. "We'll just have to do something about this mess."

She looked around at the books and scrolls strewn about the floor, the empty containers that covered the counters and table in the small kitchen area. The only thing that seemed out of place was the neatly made bed and folded pajamas at the foot.

"Alright, here we go."

"Alright, Sumi, I'm ready to show you..."Naruto stopped mid-sentence. "What happened in here?"

"I cleaned up." Sumi smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything, just made room so I'd have somewhere to sleep."

"But I was only in there for a minute, and you haven't moved from that spot!" He gaped. The scrolls and books were placed neatly on shelves, clothes that once littered the floor were in a neat pile.

"It's part of what makes me different." She grinned wide and comically. "By the way, you need to take out the trash."

The flabbergasted youth looked around the corner.

"You cleaned the kitchen, too?" He was amazed. All of the counters were clear and even the dishes were washed and drying on the side.

"How...how...how?" He stuttered.

"I already told you, it's what I do."

"Something just came to me, Sumi." Naruto smacked his forehead. "You don't have any clothes or anything."

"Don't worry about it." She smacked her heavy pants. "I have everything I need right here."

"I did notice you had a lot of pockets, but how could you hold everything you need in there?" He asked.

"Like I said, don't worry."She stepped past him. "I assume that's the bathroom. I need to get out of these performance clothes." She shut the door and left him standing open mouthed.

A knock on the door pulled his attention away from his current situation. He stepped to the front door and opened it. Standing there was Hinata and Sakura, both were smiling brightly.

"Hello!" Sakura chimed. "We went by the hospital, and they said that you had been released."

"I brought you some food." Hinata whispered and bowed as she presented a box wrapped in a plain white cloth.

"Thank you." Naruto accepted it and smiled gratefully. "You keep feeding me like this, and I might become the fattest Hokage there ever was." Hinata blushed at his compliment.

"Someone needs to look after you." Sakura said happily. "Might as well be Hinata." The aforementioned girl turned red, and Naruto laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. The small moment was broken when the sound of a door opening and closing echoed through the small space.

"Hey, Naruto, where do I sleep?" The new voice caught the attention of the two visitors.

Sumi stood in front of the bathroom door. Her long hair that had started off in pony tails was now hanging down. It came to the small of her back and curled under. She was dressed in a red tank top that clung to her every curve, a baggy pair of white pajama bottoms, and white arm warmers. The clothes she had been previously wearing sat folded in her hands.

Sakura glared at Naruto, and Hinata looked heartbroken.

"Hey, guys, it's not what you think!"


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, there was no reason to hit him like that." Sumi stated flatly. "He was being honest."

"Yeah? And who the hell are you?" Sakura boomed. Hinata just stood by quietly looking very upset.

"My name is Sumi." She replied back just as fiercely. "And Naruto was given the mission of looking after me until tomorrow. That old man said that I had to stay here. Now if you wouldn't mind, I just cleaned up in here and do not feel like making repairs to the walls."

The outburst caused the other two females to look around. Sakura gaped and Hinata looked slightly relieved, though still upset.

"I thought it looked different in here." The pink-haired teen mentioned.

"Yeah, it was a mess. I have a question though, while Naruto's out." Sumi mentioned. "Does he have a lot of stomach problems?"

"Why would you ask something like that?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I found several cartons of rotten milk, seems like he's been drinking them." Sumi answered.

"I could start bringing him small cartons of fresh milk when I bring him food." Hinata volunteered.

"Oh!" squealed Sumi. "You must be his girlfriend. I hope you are okay with me staying here. What's your name?"

Hinata turned a bright red and seemed unable to speak.

"My name is Sakura," The pink coifed female answered,"And this is Hinata. She's a very good friend of Naruto's, but he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Guy that cute," Sumi shook her head, "seems kind of a waste. I know he's a ninja, what do you guys do?"

"Well, I'm training to be a medic under the Fifth Hokage by focusing all my energy on healing techniques." Sakura boasted.

"I'm a ninja, too." Hinata stated softly. Naruto decided to reenter the world at this point.

"What did you guys go and do that for?" He grumbled. Hinata bent down to help him up and blushed in the process.

"Sorry," Sakura stated. "I assumed you were actually a man."

"Hey! I may be his student, but I'm not perverted like that old hermit." He argued.  
"Yeah, as much fun as it is watching you guys argue, I would like to know what's up with all this ninja stuff." Sumi stated.

"What's with her?" Sakura asked Naruto.

"She's from another country, she came here with the circus, but she's not with them anymore, you should have seen her act! She's really good with illusion techniques." He exclaimed. Sumi blushed a little at the praise.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but that was no illusion." She said flatly.

"Oh, yeah? Then explain that tiger jumping back into you." He baited.

"You still haven't figured it out have you?" She asked.

"Well, Naruto is a little thick headed when it comes to the obvious."Sakura pointed out.

"In that case, everyone should just take a seat and see what makes me special." Sumi directed everyone to the floor in front of her.

Once her audience was seated, Sumi sat down facing them, but pulled up the back of her shirt. As she sat there, her pupils faded away to make them solid blue. As soon as her eyes had become a solid color the solid form of a tiger began to emerge from her back, and before anyone knew what was going on it sat right in front of them purring and rubbing on the girl seated in front of them. 

"Wow!" Sakura stared in awe. "I bet that uses a lot of chakra."

"What's that?" Sumi asked, but seemed to have trouble directing her eyes right on Sakura.

"You don't know what chakra is?" Sakura choked.

"It wouldn't matter anyway." Hinata stated. "She isn't using chakra to do this."

"What!" Naruto and Sakura both jumped at that statement.

"Yeah, I'm looking at her with Byakkugan, and even though she has plenty of chakra available, she isn't using it to do this." Hinata stated quietly.

"Problem with this is that I temporarily go blind when I do it, but only when I use the tattoos. If I pull the image off of paper, then I'm fine."

"What! Off paper? Wait, so those vines and daggers came off of your arms?" Naruto asked. 

"I think you're finally catching on." Sumi stated.

"So, it's some sort of modified summoning technique." Sakura suggested. "Considering you have to use your blood to make it work."

"I guess, but I still don't understand everything you're saying when it comes to all that ninja stuff." Sumi replied.

"If you can make things you draw come to life, why get the tattoos?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, that does seem a little extreme." Naruto agreed

"It takes a that much longer to get it ready, with the tattoos, it's all there ready to go. It makes traveling that much easier for me." Sumi explained.

"Not to mention the extended wardrobe." Sakura said. "Do you think you could make me a few outfits?"

"That's the other limitation, if I loose contact with the drawings, they revert back to the paper. The tats are tied to me a little more, but at the same time they can't get too far from me, or I no longer have control over them." Sumi pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned.

"Well, the tiger is one of the images I received from a holy man. I originally got it in hopes to rid myself of my curse, but instead it literally trapped the spirit of a tiger inside of it. So, if I were to summon it, then leave it alone, the moment I am out of sight of the creature it will go insane trying to find me. It won't matter who's in it's way." Sumi bowed her head. "I learned that one the hard way."

"Oh!" Sakura gasped. "I didn't realize it was so late! I have training early in the morning with the Fifth Hokage!"

"I need to get home, too." Hinata whispered.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow." Naruto said. "Oh, and thank you for the food Hinata." He showed them to the door. He turned to Sumi. "Well, how about you sleep on the bed tonight?"

"Where will you sleep?" Sumi asked.

"I have my sleeping bag from when I go out on missions. Since you did such a great job of cleaning the place, the least I could do is sleep on the floor." He chuckled.

"Thanks." She stepped over to him and pecked him on the cheek before heading towards the bed.

Naruto just stood there dumbfounded and rubbed his cheek for a moment before getting out his sleeping bag and setting up for the night. 

Naruto rubbed his nose when he felt something brush over it softly. He let his eyes flutter open slightly, then opened them wide when he noticed a face hovering above his own. He sat up so fast that he smacked up against Sumi's forehead.

"Ow!" He rubbed the sore spot. "What in the world?"

"And you say I'm bad, aren't ninjas supposed to be able to sense people? I was sitting there for like ten minutes." Sumi chattered.

"What time is it?" He asked groggily.

"Almost sunrise." She stated cheerily.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her. She already had her hair back up in pony tails and was dressed in a white t-shirt and her large pants once again. "You're already ready to go somewhere? This early?"

"I was going to make breakfast but you don't have anything in there, so if you sow me where the bakery is we can get some fresh bread for breakfast." She smiled.

"I usually just eat ramen." He rolled back over, in an attempt to regain sleep. Sumi kicked him in the side.

"That can't be healthy." She said. Naruto jumped up angrily.

"Well, neither is breaking my ribs!" He shouted. He calmed down a bit. "Besides, Hinata brought plenty of food to last until lunch."

"Do you like Hinata?" Sumi asked carefully. 

"Where did that come from?" He asked, caught off guard.

"Nowhere, it's just obvious to me that she's infatuated with you." She crossed her arms smugly at the look of utter shock on his face.

"What makes you say that?" He questioned. 

"She brings you food," Sumi counted off on her fingers. "She turns red every time she tries to sneak a glance at you, and she looked completely heartbroken when she saw me step out of the bathroom yesterday."

"That doesn't explain anything." He said. "She's from a prominent family here, and I'm just a nobody. She couldn't like me."

"That doesn't mean anything." Sumi said flatly.

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head like he was dispelling a thought from it. "I don't have time for anyone until I get Sasuke back."

"Who's Sasuke?" She asked.

"It's a long story." He sighed.

"Well, sun's still not up, and since it seems we're not going to the bakery. We have time for a long story." She said.

"Okay, I guess you might as well know." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Wow, that is a bit of a story." Sumi thought for a minute. "I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I promise to do my best." She held out her hand. 

"Proud to have you." Naruto took her hand and shook it vigorously. "But we should get going soon to see Granny Tsunade. I'm sure the perverted hermit is already there."

"Shouldn't you be calling your teacher something a little more respectful?" She asked.

"No, he hasn't earned it yet." Naruto stretched his arms out and groaned. "We should get going."

"Shouldn't you get dressed first?" Sumi pointed to his head. "I mean, you weren't walking around in that cute puppy sleeping cap yesterday."

"Oh," He turned a bit red and chuckled. "right." He took off the cap and stepped into the bathroom to change. When he stepped back out, he opened the door. "Okay, here we go."

"I have to say I'm impressed." Tsunade commented. "This is the first time you've come in here quietly, and waited patiently to see me. So, what's the catch?"

"Naruto," Sumi whispered in his ear. "I thought we were going to see your grandmother, this lady looks to young to be my mom."

"I'm sure I can explain." He chuckled nervously at the venomous glare from Tsunade.

"Apparently, Naruto has already told you of the nickname that he has given me." She came face to face with Sumi. "And you must be the girl Jiraiya was speaking of. You can call me Miss Tsunade."

"I'm Sumi." She said meekly. The sheer presence of the woman made her feel a little uneasy.

"Well, Sumi, it is wonderful to meet you. Jiraiya says that you are very skillful with illusions." Tsunade commented.

"They're not illusions." She replied lowly. Tsunade cast her a confused glance.

"They aren't Granny Tsunade." Naruto interjected. "She's never been to ninja academy. I don't know what Perverted Hermit told you, but after talking to her last night, I think we should get her into the academy as soon as possible, then she can end up helping with missions as well."

"Whoa...whoa..whoa." Sumi stopped him. "Slow down. I need to go where to do what?"

"Sumi, could you take those warmers off of your arms?" Tsunade asked. Sumi readily complied. The older woman bent down and examined the arms.

"I hate to disappoint you, but Sumi can't be a ninja." She stated as she was inspecting the artwork on the younger woman's arms.

"Why not?" Naruto asked. "She could be really great."

"The first reason would be the fact that she has tattoos, the other would be the fact that she's almost twice the age of any of the other students. I just can't allow a distraction like that." She explained.

"Why are the tattoos a problem?"Naruto asked.

"Well, a ninja can't do something like that to themselves. It keeps them from being pure, and it just isn't done." She said. "Sumi, could you lift the back of your shirt? Naruto, face the window." Each teen complied to the requests.

Tsunade slowly traced the tiger on Sumi's lower back. There was a tense silence, then Naruto jerked up straight.

"Does that mean Sasuke has to stop being a ninja?" He asked.

"No, he was under the influence of the cursed seal. His decisions were not made completely under his own will." She let Sumi's shirt fall again. "These were all self inflicted." She placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Except the tiger, am I right?"

"Yes," she answered. "A holy priest did that one. He said it was one of my guardian spirits."

"I see," Tsunade rubbed her chin in thought. "Why did you do the other ones?"

"I ran into a lot of trouble when I was on my own." Sumi began rubbing her arms. "I couldn't always draw things fast enough. After I found out what the priest's tattoos did, I made the ones on my arms. It seemed like the best thing to do."

"I'm sure it got you through a lot. You must have amazing chakra control to sustain something like that." Tsunade stated.

"That's the thing," Naruto turned around to face the other two. "she doesn't use chakra."

"What?" The look on Tsunade's face looked like he had insulted her intelligence.

"That's what Hinata said." He explained. "She doesn't use chakra, actually she doesn't even know what it is. On top of that she does what she does without any seals"  
"That is interesting." Tsunade whispered under her breath.

"Please, can't she be a ninja?" He pleaded.

"No," The older woman said. "I can't break tradition." Both youths sported downcast looks. "But," she continued. "as long as you keep running off after Sasuke, you are going to need a personal bodyguard. I can't afford to have the ANBU babysitting you every time you get a rebellious thought in your head."

The looks brightened a little.

"What are you saying?" Naruto asked.

"What I'm saying is, that if you take the time and teach her ninja basics, I will employ Sumi for the purpose of keeping you safe. Though I'm sure she can do well with her ability, I still feel that she may depend on it too much." Tsunade explained. "I know it would be difficult for you to teach her everything on your own, so you can get others to help, but only when they aren't busy." She paused in thought. "But you will have one personal tutor available to you."

"I think I know exactly who you're talking about." Naruto said.

"He is one of our best instructors right now." Tsunade agreed.

"Who are you talking about?" Sumi asked.

I don't usually do AN's, but I have to thank my one and only reviewer, Meinos877thank you for your support, and I will do my best to keep up with your expectations!

Also, for the folks not reading this on I have pictures of Sumi on the web. Just copy and paste into your browser. Minus the spaces.

www. mediaminer . org / fanart / src. php /a/ 70945


	5. Chapter 5

"You have got to be kidding me." Sumi groaned 

"What?" Naruto replied. "He's a great teacher."

"I'm older than he is!" She complained. "And he's sleeping in the middle of the day."

"Trying to sleep, but it turned out to be troublesome." A lazy voice emerged from the figure on the ground.

"C'mon, Shikamaru." Naruto whined. "Granny Tsunade said you would do it."

"Ugh," Shikamaru grunted as he sat up. "Once again, women are troublesome." He turned his gaze on Naruto. "And you should have more respect for the Hokage. I don't understand why she lets you get away with calling her that appalling name."

"Wait a minute!" Sumi screamed. "What do you mean women are troublesome!"

"Eh!" Shikamaru huffed. "They just are." At the end of his statement, he was abruptly smacked in the back of the head.

"I'm sorry" The young woman stated. "He's like an old man, so set in his ways. I'm trying to break him of it, but he's as stubborn as they come."

"Temari, I told you not to do that." Shikamaru complained. "Why must you be so troublesome?" Even though he was whining, he did it with a grin on his face that said he meant otherwise. Temari reached over and ruffled his hair.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Gaara, Kankurou, and I had a mission to lead someone here." She explained. "Then we're supposed to stay and escort the circus back to our village when it leaves. So, of course I had to come visit this pain in the ass." She punched Shikamaru in the arm.

"Cut it out." He spat.

"Ah, anyway, it should be fun to teach some body. It should pass some time." Temari stuck out her hand to Sumi. "You know my name, so what's your's?"

"It's Sumi." She took the offered hand.

"She used to be with the circus, but she's decided on a change." Naruto explained.

"You can't just decide to be a ninja." Shikamaru stated.

"Actually, I'm not allowed to be a ninja." She exposed her arms. "I have tattoos."

"You did these?" Temari asked as she stepped up to inspect them. "Why?"

"It's a long story, but lets just say that it's kept me alive." Sumi responded.

"Well then, how about we see what you can do?" Temari took a battle stance.

"What?" Sumi gasped as Temari opened her fan.

"She's challenging you to a fight." Shikamaru explained. "Might as well, it'll let me get an idea of where you're at. Makes teaching you less troublesome."

"Hey!" Sumi shouted.

"I'm not waiting on you." Temari stated as she swung her fan. The air current pushed Sumi backwards.

"She's taking it easy on you right now." Naruto said. "You might want to start fighting back."

"That's taking it easy?" Sumi felt a little sick. "I'm gonna die!"

"I know you can do it!" Naruto shouted.

"I guess." Sumi took a deep breath, and the vines on her arms shot out through her hands. They dodged around Temari and grabbed her fan. Temari turned and tried to kick the vines away, but one just wrapped around her foot and held it in place.

The remaining vines snatched the fan, and shut it. Temari had managed to pull her foot from the one that had been binding it, but could not turn fast enough to retrieve her weapon. She was able jump out of the way as a dagger flew at her.

Sumi threw the fan well out of reach as Temari ran at her. Somehow dodging all of the vines along the way. Once she reached her enemy, she punched Sumi right in the face. The girl fell like a wet bag of sand. Temari stared blankly as Sumi's body hit the ground. The minute she made contact with the dirt, the vines and dagger returned to her faster than anyone could blink.

"I didn't hit her that hard." Temari whispered.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru stated. Naruto just stared with his mouth open.

"She didn't even dodge that fist," Temari stated, "it was almost like she couldn't even see me."

"Well, it looks like we'll have to start from scratch." Shikamaru whined. He walked over with Naruto to lift Sumi off the ground and attempt to revive her. Temari ran over to retrieve her fan. She brought it back and used it to start a small breeze to blow on Sumi.

Shikamaru smiled at her. 'Sometimes she can be really gentle.' His father's words came back to him. He had witnessed Temari leveling a whole forest with the fan that she was now using to help revive someone. He sighed to himself before he spoke.

"This really will be troublesome."

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"It seems you have no hand to hand combat skills, zero sensory ability, and you cant even evade simple attacks." Shikamaru listed off the problems.

"Geez, rub it in why don't ya?" Sumi grumbled as she nursed her black eye.

"I see that hand to hand should be the first thing you need to learn, and I would have to say that Lee would be the best person to teach you, since Gai is currently running missions." He sat down on the ground and leaned against a tree. "At least then you'll be able to do something for yourself, though how you're going to protect Naruto is beyond me. If he could focus on his abilities as much as he focuses on Sasuke, then he would have a better chance of getting him back."

"You have no right to say anything about that!" Naruto stood and came face to face with Shikamaru. "If you think that's the problem, then I'll train right along with Sumi!"

"Eh!" He shouted back. "What good are basic techniques going to do you?"

"I'll build on them even more, even the Hokage needs to do simple things." Naruto huffed.

"That made absolutely no sense, but knock yourself out." He stretched. "Go find Lee, I'm gonna try and finish what you interrupted."

"Like hell you are." Temari jumped from the tree branch she was sitting in. "I'm hungry, so we're getting something to eat." She grabbed Shikamaru by the scruff of his neck and drug him off towards the center of the village.

"Wow! She's got him wrapped around her finger." Sumi said.

"The funny part is that she isn't even his girlfriend." Naruto stated.

"What?" Sumi was shocked. "They act like they're married."

"I know it's weird, but Shikamaru has a distinct dislike for women. Even his own mother, but if you think about it, Temari doesn't act too much like a lady." Naruto rubbed his chin. "I guess we better get some lunch too, then go find Lee."

"Okay, I guess." Sumi stood, and followed Naruto as he walked to the ramen stand that they had eaten at the day before.

"Oh, hello again." The waitress smiled. "It seems we have a new regular."

"Hello." Sumi replied.

The two made their orders and began their meals. After a second bowl, Naruto's stomach made a strange noise.

"I have to go for a moment." He stated. "Don't worry mister, I'll be right back!" He shouted to the owner. The only response was an acknowledging grunt.

Sumi continued to consume. She even asked for another bowl. She was digging into it when the curtain pulled back.

"Hey Nar...oh! I'm sorry." The man that had stepped in corrected himself. Sumi just blinked at him. She still had some noodles hanging out of her mouth as if she had stopped mid-slurp. "I heard the noise and thought it was someone else." The man explained.

Sumi sucked in the rest of the noodles and swallowed hard. She hadn't realized that she made that much noise, and was now embarrassed since a rather handsome man had heard her making them.

"Iruka!" Naruto chimed as he hugged the man.

"Oh, there you are Naruto." The man smiled. "I should have known this young lady couldn't have emptied all these bowls on her own. Would you care to introduce us?"

"Sure, this is Sumi." He gestured as he spoke. "Sumi this is Iruka."

"Hi." Sumi was dumbfounded.

"Hello." Iruka replied a little confused. "You were in the circus right? The illusion girl." turned to Naruto. "Did you pick a girlfriend up from the circus?"

"No!" Naruto shouted. "Granny Tsunade wants me to get her trained as my bodyguard so the ANBU can be used for other missions!"

"Sorry, my mistake." Iruka laughed. "It was nice meeting you Sumi."

"Hi." She repeated.

"Okay," Iruka said, "Maybe we'll have lunch sometime Naruto." He ducked out, leaving Naruto giving Sumi a strange look.

"Hi." She said again, still in a daze.

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Thank you to PlushKittie and Nickel Hound for your reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm sorry." Sumi pleaded. "I have no idea what happened, but I'm sure it won't happen again."

"I don't know." Naruto squinted at her and poked her forehead as he spoke. "How are you going to guard me against an enemy if you get all stupid just by looking at them."

"I promise that won't be an issue, he just came up behind me in a relaxed setting." She argued. "Besides, it's not like I can physically see someone's face when I fight."

"All right, I give you one more chance, but if you do that again, you might have to find a new job." He warned.

"Oh, come on, it's not like all ninjas are that cute." She paused a moment. "Right?" Naruto smacked his forehead.

"If the women that drool over a good number of them, then the answer would be, yes." He stated dryly.

Sumi suddenly stopped short and put her hand in front of Naruto to stop him. 

"I think I understand what you're saying." She stated. Naruto looked up ahead to see Kakashi leaning against a fence reading the latest installment of Make Out Paradise. Naruto waved and shouted ahead.

"Kakashi!" Naruto shouted The man looked up, and before she could blink he was bent down face to face with Sumi.

"Oh, Naruto." He stated. "Finally given up on Sakura?" 

"Hey!" Naruto retorted.

"No matter." Kakashi said coolly. "You must be Sumi."

"How..wha..who?" She couldn't quite form a sentence.

"A good ninja is able to gather information undetected." Kakashi smoothly stated.

"Oh." Sumi was at a loss.

"Jiraiya told you about her when he bought you a copy of is newest book." Naruto stated angrily. He had his arms crossed to supplement his tone.

"There was a time when you just called me your teacher, and listened to everything I said." Kakashi stood and looked at the boy. "Good to see that you actually learned something."

"Heh," Naruto huffed. "Wasn't too hard. Jiraya is the only other person that really knows anything about her, and I also know that he just published the volume you're reading now. Knowing how fast you read, I can tell how long you've had it. Add the signature, I would say he came by this morning and dropped it off. Most likely right after he saw Granny Tsunade"  
Kakashi gave a light laugh that sent an awkward shiver down Sumi's spine. Then he looked Naruto in the eye.

"He told you he was going to drop it off to me didn't he?" A look of utter offense came over Naruto's face, then he dropped and replaced with a look that said he'd been caught.

"Yeah," he sighed. "He was going to drop it off after we were finished at the circus yesterday." Sumi blinked at Naruto. She had honestly believed him until he admitted that he was lying.

"Next time, don't admit to not knowing. It ruins the effect." Kakashi stated. "Where are you headed?"

"We're looking for Fuzzy Brows." Naruto said. "He's going to help us train in hand to hand combat!"

"Really?" Kakashi raised a brow.

"I'm sorry." Sumi interrupted. "But who exactly are you?"

"Oh, this is Kakashi." Naruto explained. "I guess the best way to put it is that he's my teacher and the leader of the team that Sakura, Sasuke, and I belong to."

"I thought that perverted guy was your teacher." Sumi stated.

"I think the best way to put it is that I used to be Naruto's teacher. He's got someone much better teaching him now." Kakashi volunteered. "Awhile back we had a bit of a problem that reordered the way we normally do things. We normally have four-man teams that we send out on missions. I used to head up the one Naruto belonged to. I'll let him explain all the details though. I have a book to finish, and I believe you were looking for Lee. I think he and Sakura are out in the park."

"Thanks!" Naruto exclaimed as he grabbed Sumi's hand and began running towards the park.

"Uh, nice to meet you!" Sumi shouted back as she was jerked from her spot.

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"Thanks for taking a walk with me Sakura." Lee said.

"It's nothing." Sakura responded. "I do have to say that your recovery is amazing! Not only were you able to get back to your previous level, you've also managed to become a chunin."

"I know." Lee shrugged. "Why haven't you tried again?" 

"Well, it does need a three person team, and you know, with Sasuke gone..." She mumbled. Lee grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"You shouldn't let that hold you back." He insisted. "There's another exam coming up in a few months. I'm sure you can find a third person to go with you. I don't think it will be a problem getting Naruto to try again. In fact, I think the only reason he hasn't asked about it before is that he feels bad about not bringing Sasuke back."

"Really?" Her face was pleading for him not to lie.

"I guarantee it." He smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

"Alright, Lee. I'll ask Naruto about it." A determined look crossed her features.

"Good, I think you're about to get your chance." He pointed behind her. She turned and saw Naruto running up in the distance, practically dragging Sumi behind him.

"Fuzzy Brows! Sakura!" Naruto was waving his free hand as he ran up to the two on the bridge.

"Geez." Sumi groaned. "You should warn a person before you do that."

"Where did you come from?" Sakura asked.

"Other side of town." Sumi glared at Naruto. "This speed demon dragged me the whole way."

"I'll never get over your stamina, Naruto." Lee stated.

"Wait a minute." Sakura looked hard at Sumi. "You kept up with him?"

"Yeah." She answered.

"But you aren't sweating at all." Sakura observed. "You aren't even out of breath."

"Man, just because I can't fight doesn't mean I'm out of shape." Sumi responded. "Up until yesterday, I was in a circus."

"And who might you be?" Lee asked. 

"Oh," Sakura jumped up. "This is Sumi. Sumi, this is Fuzzy Brows."

"Nice to meet you." Sumi offered her hand and Lee took it.

"The pleasure is all mine." Lee shook her hand.

"Fuzzy Brows, we need you to help train Sumi in hand to hand combat." Naruto jumped into the conversation.

"Really?" Lee raised his brows. "Why?" 

"Because, she's going to be my bodyguard." Naruto answered.

"What!" Sakura shouted.  
"Yeah, Miss Tsunade said that she wanted me to keep an eye on him so that it could free up some of the people she already had following him outside of the village." Sumi explained.

"So, you're going to be staying with Naruto for a while?" Sakura asked.

"I haven't really thought about that yet." Sumi answered.

"What does it matter?" Naruto interrupted. "What we need right now is to start training!"

"Okay," Lee did his best to calm the other boy down. "Just tell me what I can do to help."

"Okay, Granny Tsunade sent us to Shikamaru to train, and he told us to find you to teach her hand to hand combat." He explained.

"Okay." Lee said. "Meet me at dawn tomorrow, just outside of the village. We'll get started then."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted.

"Thank you." Sumi responded. "I'll do my best."

"I wouldn't expect any less."

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Naruto opened the door to his small apartment, and Sumi followed him. Inside.

"Naruto, there's something I've been meaning to ask since this afternoon." She asked quietly.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"What is the deal with that guy's eybrows?" 


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright!" Sumi stated excitedly. "I'm ready."

"Me, too." Naruto echoed.

"But where's Lee?" she asked.

"Yeah," He agreed. "I'd have thought Fuzzy Brows would be here by now."

"I can understand why you call him Fuzzy Brows, but yesterday you called him Lee when no one else was around." Sumi commented.

"It's an old habit." He shrugged. "Mostly now, I just do it to annoy people, especially him. It's one of the few things I can still get away with without people thinking less of me."

"Oh." Sumi nodded, then crossed her arms and pouted. "Either way, it doesn't excuse him from being late."

"We could always stretch so that we're ready when he gets here." Naruto suggested.

"Okay." She agreed. Sumi reached up towards the sky and let her shoulders pop. She folded her arms behind her head, spread her legs apart and bent forward. Her pony tails drug in the grass as the top of her head touched the ground.

"You're practically bent in half!" Naruto exclaimed. Sumi came back up to stand at her full height. Popped her shoulders again, rotated them and proceeded to lean backwards.

"So." She stated as she brought her head between her legs.

"How are you able to do that?" He asked.

"How many times do I have to explain?" She brought herself back to a standing position. She grabbed her left leg and brought it up flush against her torso. "I...was...in...a..cir..cus." She spoke as if she was explaining something to a child. She continued with some other stretches as she spoke. "I didn't have the tattoos as a kid. The most I could do was bring pictures to life. I had to be able to do other things to pull my weight. I trained with the acrobats and trapeze artists." 

She stepped over to a nearby tree and jumped up. She latched on to a limb where she pulled herself up and proceeded to hand upside down by her legs.

"Why didn't you do any of that when you fought Temari?" Naruto asked.

"Huh?" She started to swing from the branch and used the momentum to propel herself further into the tree. She crouched on top of the new branch when she landed. "What do you mean? Those are all tricks. How am I supposed to use them to fight?"

"I'm not really sure myself, but I'm sure they could be used for something." Naruto began rubbing his chin.

"Hey!" Lee's voice floated over to them, soon followed by the boy himself.

"Fuzzy Brows!" Naruto shouted back. "Your late."

Sumi dropped from the tree, which caused Lee to look at her. He looked between the two confused.

"What do you mean? It's not even sunrise yet." He pointed out. "Came up here planning to get ready for you to arrive, but I guess you two are just too dedicated. How about we start with a run to get ready?"

"Whatever." Sumi muttered and she fell into step between Lee and Naruto.

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"Naruto!" A voice called out. All three youths turned as Jiraiya jumped out of a tree.

"What do you want, perverted hermit?" He grumbled.

"We're going to go train." The older man stated. "Tsunade already told me the situation, and since you're new bodyguard is training in basics, I thought I could help you with some training of your own."

"What do you think I'm doing here?" Naruto shouted at him. "You've barely been around for the last year and a half. I'm lucky I've been able to improve at all."

"I'll teach you a new technique." Jiraiya baited. 

"Really?" Naruto asked carefully.

"I think you should go, Naruto." Sumi said. "I'm sure Lee can do a fine job."

"Okay." He said. "I'll see you around dinner time then?"

"Sure, whatever, go on!" She pushed him. "Goodbye!"

"See ya, later." Naruto exclaimed, then followed Jiraiya into the tree tops.

"Are you ready to go on to the next exercise, Sumi?" Lee asked.

"Sure!" she smiled.

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"Sumi?" Naruto poked his head in the door. "Are you here?" After not finding her in the apartment, he stepped out to go look for her. 

He was walking to where he had left her earlier when he ran into Lee.

"Fuzzy Brows, where's Sumi?" He asked.

"Sumi? We finished training hours ago." Lee said. "It's already very late, maybe I should help you find her."

"Thank you, Fuzzy Brows." Naruto and Lee ran off towards the area they had used for training.

"I think I see her!" Lee shouted. Naruto joined him on the branch where he was seated.

"What is she doing?" Naruto asked.

"While training, I took note of how flexible and fast her movement was." Lee explained. "I set her up with a log like I used to use. I told her to just do one thousand of each of the things we had worked on, but she did all of those before I left. She's probably gone through them again several times already."

Naruto jumped from the branch and landed behind Sumi. She continued to kick the large log. 

"Sumi, it's time to go." He said.

"No." She stated as she continued with her exercises. Naruto stepped up to her and grabbed her shoulders. She glared at him and pushed away. As her hands made contact with his chest, he noticed dark stains covering her arm warmers. She turned back and continued to kick the log.

"Sumi, don't force me to carry you back." He warned.

"I have to catch-up." She growled. "You guys have years on me, and if I can't prove that I can do just as much as you, I'll have to go back."

"What gave you that idea?" Naruto pinned both of her arms to her side and spun her around. Her eyes were glazed over, and she suddenly fell against him sobbing.

"I can't go back." She sobbed. "I can't go back."

"What the hell?" Naruto stared in shock. "Fuzzy Brows, get down here!"

Lee jumped down and help adjust the sobbing girl on to Naruto's back. On the way back to the village, Sumi drifted off to sleep.

"Thank you, Lee." Naruto stated seriously. 

"I'll be by tomorrow to see if she wants to continue." He responded. 

Naruto took her into the small space of his home. He stepped over to place her on the bed. He leaned down to release her onto the mattress, but when he loosened his grip, she tightened her own. He had wanted to at least clean the obvious injury to her hands, but he didn't want to injure her further by forcing her off.

He laid down on the bed and adjusted the covers to at least drape over Sumi. He let out a deep sigh and drifted to sleep.

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Thank You to rakio and Battosai25 for your reviews!

I'm always eager to know what people think about the story, and finding out that I made somebody laugh, always makes my day. 

I'll do my best to update everyday except Sundays. I will be having a hand Surgery in February, but I'm working on stockpiling chapters so I can keep updating during that time.

Later! 


	8. Chapter 8

"Isn't this a lovely picture." A voice invaded Naruto's dream. He blinked away the darkness to see Jiraiya's face directly in his own.

Naruto tried to jump up but felt a strong grip holding him down.

"A little help?" He pleaded.

"No I think I'll let you stay there a minute." Jiraiya chuckled.

"This isn't funny." Naruto pleaded. "She's hurt, but I couldn't get her to let go of me last night. She's stronger than she looks." Jiraiya reached over to remove her arms when he saw the dark stains on the cloth around her hands. The edges where it had dried had more of a black color resembling ink instead of the brown on blood.

Upon the removing of her hands, Sumi cringed and jerked into a fetal position. The movement knocked Jiraiya off-balance. He grabbed Naruto in an attempt to catch himself, but only managed to bring the boy down with him. 

"I don't want to go back!" Sumi screamed from her position on the bed. "I thought you were going to protect me!"

Naruto jumped up and began to gently shake her.

"Sumi! Wake up!" He yelled. She suddenly went still, then lifted her head and blinked her eyes. 

"How did I get here?" Sumi asked. "Last thing I remember is Lee saying that training was done for the day, but I decided to practiced a little bit of what I learned before heading back. Everything after that is kind of a blank."

She sat up and looked at her hands.

"There's blood on my hands." Her eyes grew wide in terror. "Oh, God! What did I do?"

"You hurt yourself training." Naruto explained. "You didn't do anything. We went looking for you last night, and found you still kicking the log."

"Thank goodness." Sumi breathed. Jiraiya stood up and looked at her.

"Has something like this happened before?" The elder man asked.

"Yes," Sumi said. "A long time ago. I didn't think it would ever happen again, between the holy men, and the hypnotist..." She shook her head in aggravation. "No, it won't happen again. I won't go back."

"We are not going to send you back to the circus. I promise!" Naruto said. "Training takes time we all know that. By the end of the week, that circus will be gone. It's okay."

"I must go discuss things with Tsunade." Jiraiya said. "I will be back later."

"Okay." Naruto said. He turned to Sumi. "We need to clean those wounds, then you need to tell me exactly what's going on."

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"I wasn't originally in the circus taming the tiger." Sumi began. "I was actually the beast girl in the sideshow."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"One of the reasons my mother gave me up." She looked off into the distance. "It wasn't like I was that way all the time. It would just happen randomly. Heck, I think she was able to handle that, but I think the day I got a paper cut and made the scribble ball come to life is what did it to her. That's all I remember before the circus.

I don't remember my father, my name, or if I had any brothers or sisters. I just remember the look of terror on her face as she hit me with the broom and chased me out of my home.

I wandered the streets for awhile, stealing when I needed to. Scaring people during the times I would go crazy. One time I woke up to find my hands and face covered in blood." Sumi hung her head in shame.

"I found the half-eaten rabbit lying next to me. I felt absolutely sick. I thought that I was complete trash for killing an innocent creature, so I decided to climb into a dumpster.

While I was looking for one, I came across a coloring book. I picked it up. When I opened it there was a picture of a puppy. I touched it, wishing it were real. There was still blood on my hands from the rabbit. As soon as it made contact the puppy jumped off the page and began running around my feet. 

The ring master had been walking by and witnessed it. He offered me a bath and a meal, so I followed him."

"Wait a minute." Naruto interrupted. "Are you telling me you have to use blood to make ink come to life?"

"Yes," She answered. "It can be any type of blood, I just prefer to use mine because it lets me control it better."

"Ok, now I'm confused." Naruto said.

"Well, you haven't heard it all yet." Sumi continued. "It wasn't long after the ringmaster took me in that I had another episode. He decided that it was something he could use to get me out in front of crowds sooner. 

"He brought me to the hypnotist that traveled around with our midway, and found out that he could trigger that reaction on command. I learned how to do other things at the circus, but one of the biggest draws was when I would act like a wild animal and a trainer would whip me into submission. It went on like that until I was a teenager. Then, he allowed me to showcase my ability to manipulate drawings.

"Still, he would hit me a lot and refuse to pay me for my performances. He said I barely pulled my own weight. 

"So, when he announced that we were taking the show overseas, I saw it as my opportunity to escape and change my life. I had also heard that the land was full of great healers and mystic holy men. I thought they could make me normal.

"I emersed myself in this country's language and practices so that I could make it on my own. The first night after our boat landed, I snuck off into the woods.

"I traveled for weeks, keeping away from major towns. Stopping by farms only when I needed food. I would do some work in exchange for a meal.

"When I heard a rumor about a compound of monks, I took off in search of them. I had to fight off large animals, and climb at least two mountains.

"After about six months of travel, I came across the compound where the monks lived. I hit a little trouble getting in since I was a girl, but the head monk was just outside the gates, tending his garden.

"He said that I wasn't allowed inside of the walls, but he would do his best to help me. I explained my problem, but left out the part about running away from the circus.

"One of the things he said I needed was a spiritual cleansing. I had to bathe under a waterfall for seven days and seven nights. After that, he put the tattoo of the tiger on my back. It was a very painful experience, but I was willing to do anything to be normal.

"During the time I was there, I slept in the trees outside the compound. I had started doing that on my trek there to avoid being bothered by animals. Still, it didn't matter where I was sleeping when the thieves came.

"There were about ten of them, they were fairly noisy, but I didn't hear them soon enough to keep them from seeing me. They were shouting obscenities and threatening me. One of them started climbing the tree and began to grab at me.

"I panicked, and felt myself fall from the branch. Before I hit the ground, everything went black and I heard a loud growling noise followed by screams.

"When my vision came back, there was a large tiger rubbing its head on my lap, and one of the men were dead.

"The monks had come and found me sitting amongst the gore. The head monk had promised me that I would be safe. He said that I would be protected.

"There was one monk that didn't like me. I never learned any of their names since only the leader would speak with me, but there was one that looked at me with hatred every time I saw him.

"It was his face that I saw when the ring master came back for me. He was amused by the new trick. The traitorous holy man had informed them of the tiger, so there was a tamer there as well to hold it off.

"They took me away that night and beat me mercilessly. It was as I lie there in pain that the idea for the tattoos crept into my mind. If the tiger came to life, why wouldn't other things. 

"I started off drawing different things on paper, then looked at some of the tattoos that other members of the circus had. There were plenty with rose vines and blades, so I decided to use them. There was nothing unusual about any of us doing our own tattoos. Everyone did it.

"The next time it seemed like I was going to be beaten I used the tattoos to defend myself, but someone came up and knocked me in the back of the head with a heavy object.

"They said if I tried it again, they would kill me." She hung her head. "I haven't tried to since."

"That's rough." Naruto said, then clenched his fist. "I should go over there and teach him a lesson right now!"

"No! Don't." Sumi pleaded. "I would rather they leave and never come back to bother me."

"Alright, but if they think they're taking you back when they leave, they have another thing coming." He succeeded. 

A knock sounds at the door. Naruto got up to open it, and revealed Lee standing on the other side.

"Do you think you're up to training today?" Lee asked from his position in the door way.

A look of determination crossed her face, erasing the previous one of sadness.

"You bet I am!"

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Thank you to Rakio and Battosai25 for your continued support! Thanks to drago1456 for your comment, and I do plan on doing that, I'm just trying to set it up for that. 


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to Rakio and icydragon14 for reviewing.

Battosai25 You seem to know where I'm going with this one! Cool! Thank you!

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"I see."

Tsunade said. "It would seem that she's got a few issues of her own."

"I'm not sure exactly what's wrong with her, but the places where her blood stained were not normal." Jiraya comment.

"I guess we'll have to open up to the possibility of magic." Tsunade sighed. "With the exception of one thing."

"What's that?"he asked.

"The tiger on her back isn't a tattoo." She stated.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked.

"I've met the monk that did that." Tsunade stated. "There is no way she could have gotten into the compound where he resides.

"Not just the fact that women aren't allowed inside, but it is secluded in a place that is impossible to get to, unless you have a guide."

"Maybe someone lead her there." Jiraiya suggested.

"No, under no circumstances can women make it there without help. There are illusions and traps the entire way that are meant to de ture people. Even if a hapless sap made it to the area, they would never see the compound. It's cloaked. 

"That girl is a lot more like Naruto than you may know." She stated.

"Would you please be a little more clear on what you are saying?" He asked.

"That design on her back may be etched into her skin, but it's a modified type of seal. Naruto mentioned that she wasn't using chakra. I think she's using pure spiritual energy." She sat down behind her desk. "She mentioned the tiger was her guardian spirit. Considering what I know of the monk that did it, he didn't add the spirit, just harnessed it."

"So she has a spirit sealed in her?" Jiraiya was taking in all that she said.

"Yes, but I think it's more like the spirit was reborn in her, not put there." She stood up and put her hands on her desk. "I need to speak with her. Bring her here when she's through training today."

"Since when do you order me around?" He chuckled.

"Since you passed on taking the responsibility yourself." She countered. 

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"Wow, Naruto, it was fun sparring with you." Sumi grinned. 

"You're learning really quick." He stated. "If you'd have been born here, you might have been considered a genius."

"Really?" She asked.

"If there is one thing I have learned about Naruto it is that he doesn't lie when it comes to a person's ability." Lee stated. "It is amazing how fast you learn. You've managed to get down the basics that took me five years to learn in beginners courses. Not to mention that you've barely broken a sweat."

"Yeah, I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I should be." She leaned back. "Sorry I freaked on you guys yesterday. I'm just not used to people being so nice and accepting of me."

"Yeah, that kind of thing does take some getting used to." Naruto said with a laugh. "Sometimes you don't even notice it until you're forced to take a long look at your life."

"You know what?" Sumi asked. "Sometimes you talk funny."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"One minute your all goofy and fun loving, but then out of nowhere, you get all deep and perceptive." She commented. Naruto just shrugged and stood up.

"I need to go." Lee said. "I have a meeting Sakura and the Hokage."

"See ya later, Fuzzy Brows." Naruto said.

"Bye!" Sumi yelled. Lee ran off towards the center of the village.

The two remaining youths began walking with no where particular in mind. They were walking down the main street when Jiraiya appeared in front of them.

"Sumi, I need you to come with me." He said.

"Um, okay." She seemed a little confused, but she trusted the man. She started to follow him, and so did Naruto.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said solemnly. "You need to stay behind."

"WHAT?" He shouted. "Why?"

"Tsunade wants to speak to her alone." The older man said.

"Okay, Perverted Hermit, but you better tell me what's going on later." The youth demanded.

"I promise." Jiraiya said.

"I'll see you later, Naruto." Sumi waved as she walked away."

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"Huh?" Sumi was utterly bewildered.

"From now on, you will be staying here with me." Tsunade stated. "It's not a hard concept to grasp."

"But why?" The younger woman asked.

"Honestly, I'm curious about you." Tsunade shrugged. "I also want to make sure you get the best training possible. I'm a person who loves to gamble, and from what I've heard about you so far, I would say it would be a good investment to bet on you."

"You make me sound like a racehorse." Sumi scrunched her brows at the thought.

"I don't mean to, but believe me when I want only the best for you, and for Naruto as well. I honestly believe that with the right training, you could be the best person to protect him." The older woman stated honestly.

"Okay, let's say this doesn't sound completely crazy to me." Sumi stood firm. "What's the catch?"

"No catch, really." Tsunade smiled. "Lets just say I have an important mission lined up for you, and I need you to be ready in time."

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"She what?" Naruto asked.

"Don't worry." Jiraiya said. "You'll still get to see her. You just get to have your bed to yourself, or is that the problem?"

"No!" Naruto yelled. "It's just that Granny Tsunade doesn't change her mind that often."

"Everyone has a right to change their mind." Jiraiya laughed. "Even her."

"Just promise me one thing." Naruto said.

"What's that?" His mentor asked.

"Don't leave her alone." Naruto glared at the man. "Ever."

"I don't see that being a problem." Jiraiya's unsaid promise hung in the air.

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"Why are you following me?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm not following you." Temari answered. "I'm walking with you."

"You're so troublesome." He huffed.

"And you're just too cute to ignore." She smiled and rubbed his head.

"Why do you do that?" Shikamaru whined.

"Because." She came close to his face and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You might find that too embarrassing."

Shikamaru stood completely still, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.

"I don't know." She smirked. "I think I like this reaction better." 


	10. Chapter 10

"You aren't concentrating, Naruto." Jiraiya stated. "Is something bothering you?"

"The circus is leaving today, and I haven't seen Sumi since she left with you to see Granny Tsunade." The boy sighed.

"You really do like her, huh?" The older man asked.

"No," Naruto answered truthfully. "It's weird. I feel like she knows where I'm coming from. Like she understands what I went through."

"Like a kindred spirit?" Jiraiya offered.

"Like family." Naruto stated. "I know what it's like to have friends, and to like a girl, but Sumi felt like the sister I never had. I know she just suddenly dropped into my life, but it was like she was supposed to be there."

"Maybe she was supposed to be there." Jiraiya suggested. He leaned against a tree. "Since you're going to have trouble concentrating until you know she's okay, how about we go see her and Tsunade, hmm?"

"Okay!" Naruto yelled and took to the trees. He kept jumping until he reached the village gates. He stopped. There was a gathering of people watching the circus prepare to leave, but it was two figures on the outside of the walls that caught his attention.

Shikamaru was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed looking quite annoyed. Temari was propped on her fan that was sticking out of the ground. Naruto couldn't hear what they were saying, but he was sure it was the usual banter from when the two were together. He could almost time it out.

"She'll be rubbing his head in a second." Naruto whispered to himself, but when Temari leaned forward and planted a kiss on Shikamaru, he almost fell out of the tree. What surprised him even more was the pleasant look on is friend's face. "I never saw that one coming." He stated before resuming his trek to visit Sumi.

When he reached the Hokage's office, Jiraiya was already standing there.

"So , you decided to join us after all." He chuckled.

"I just saw something that I didn't expect is all." Naruto answered. A small blush was on his cheeks.

"Well, now that you're here, I will assure you that Sumi is perfectly fine." Tsunade stated.

"I'd like to see her." Naruto stated.

"I can't have that right now." She told him. "You wanted her safe, so until the circus leaves we have her in a sealed room."

"You locked her away?" He growled.

Tsunade gave a high-pitched laugh.

"Of course not. She's currently undergoing chakra training." Tsunade winked. "Best way to keep the circus folk away from her, huh?"

"Is she by herself?" the boy cautiously questioned.

"No, Sakura is with her." Tsunade sat back in her chair. "It is amazing how fast Sumi is learning. It's almost as if something in her already knows how to do these things, but something was keeping her from remembering them."

"She told me that she was once hypnotized to keep some problems she had in check." Naruto volunteered.

"That circus maybe shadier than it lets on." Jiraiya observed. 

"Exactly." Tsunade mimicked a gun with her finger. "That's why I sent one of our own to help the sand ninjas escort them."

"You mean, her whole life as she knows it is a lie?" Naruto's voice held a twinge of concern.

"Not all of it." Tsunade said. "I don't know her whole story, but even the best hypnotist would have trouble replacing all of someone's memories. They had to have something to build on."

"I don't know." Naruto said guardedly.

"I think someone feels a little betrayed." Jiraiya pointed out.

"Believe me, if she lied about anything to you, she had no idea that she was doing it." Tsunade consoled.

Naruto, shut his eyes, then shook his head as if he were dispelling a thought from his head. 

"The person you sent with the sand ninjas wasn't Shikamaru was it?" He asked.

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"This is amazing!" Sumi marveled.

"I know." Sakura smiled.

"It's like looking in a mirror." Sumi reached up and touched the face in front of her.

"That's why it's a clone." Sakura explained. 

"It's still cool." Sumi grinned.

"You got the grip of this really quick." Sakura observed.

"Well, we have been in this room for two days straight, is this how you learned?" Sumi inquired. 

"No, I learned in a classroom. Learning a lot of things at once." Sakura thought for a minute. "I guess I would have learned faster focusing on one thing at a time."

"Probably." Sumi continued to be entertained by her clone.

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"I'm glad you volunteered to come along." Temari commented.

"It was troublesome for you to just leave like that." Shikamaru muttered.

"Still, I'm happy." She leaned over and kissed him. A look of happiness crossed his face. Suddenly, they both turned and looked toward the trees. 

"Did you sense someone there?" Temari asked.

"Yeah." Shikamaru said. "But I wouldn't worry about it." He leaned up. With that, he leaned up and kissed her back.

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Thanks to Ryushi-the-DutchEroSennin and Battosai25.

Thanks to everyone concerned about me posting everyday. If at some point I need a break, I will take it. Right now, I'm writing everyday because it's something I enjoy doing and it gives me a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Thank you to everyone reading this fic. I know there are plenty of you out there, and I am happy that it is entertaining enough to keep people coming back to read it. 


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for being late. My computer crashed because of some virus, so it would shut off if it stayed on for more than a few minutes, so I had to get it fixed. After that, I had to rewrite this chapter, I'm sorry for the hold-up, but I think I might start with one or two long chapters per week instead of several short ones since so many people have told me to take a break now and then.

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"Are you just going to leave her here?" Methuselah asked.

"Do you want to attempt a kidnaping in a village full of ninjas?" Dmitri, the ringmaster, responded.

"I could hypnotize anyone that got in our way." The hypnotist offered.

"We were lucky in the girl's situation. Anyone with a lifetime of training would see right through you!" Dmitri hissed.

"Then, how do you expect to get her back this time?" Methuselah quipped.

"She will come to us." The ringmaster stated.

"Why do you say that?"

"You and I both know that you are only a third-rate magician, and an even worse hypnotist. All she has to do is have the right memory triggered, and all of her memories will come after me." Dmitri explained.

"What would make her want to come after you?" The mystic asked.

"Because," Dmitri grinned lazily. "I killed her father."

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"Well, they're gone." Jiraiya pointed out.

"For now." Tsunade commented.

"So, you gonna let the kid see her?" He questioned.

"This is my one chance to let him squirm," she glanced at him, "what do you think?"

"Ah, so tomorrow then?"

"Maybe."

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"Are you ready to take a break yet?" Sakura asked.

"What? Why?" asked Sumi.

"It's nearly dusk, I'm well trained and I'm exhausted." Sakura explained. "You're just learning, you should be dead on your feet."

"Maybe I'm just better at handling it." Sumi stated carefully.

"Don't get cocky now." Sakura chided. "Besides, I think the Hokage wants to talk to you."

"What about?" Sumi asked.

"Somebody taught Ton-Ton how to balance a pile of dishes while walking on only one leg, and now all of the good settings are broken." Sakura glanced at Sumi. "You wouldn't happen to know who that was, would you?"

Sumi blushed guiltily and rubbed the back of her head while giggling. 

"I have no idea."

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"Awe, why won't she let me talk to Sumi?" Naruto whined.

"Not sure, but she did say something about getting your rest." Jiraiya answered. "I think you have a mission tomorrow."

"Really?" The news cheered the boy up a bit. "Does it have to deal with Orichimaru or Sasuke?"

Jiraiya smacked his forehead. Naruto's one-track mind sometimes astounded him. He didn't even try to answer the question. He just put his arm on the young man's shoulder and lead him out the door.

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"So, when are you going to tell them?" Temari asked.

"Why am I the one who has to tell them?" Shikamaru countered.

"You and I both know that your old man ideals won't allow it." She answered.

The couple was sitting in the branches of a large tree that overlooked the clearing the circus had chosen to make camp in. Temari's branch sat slightly higher.

"It's troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. He glanced up at the girl above him. "But I think it'll be worth it."

Temari blushed, but continued looking out at the people preparing for the night. Her brothers were speaking with the ringmaster about the path they were preparing to take, and the procedure for entering the village so that none of the members could reveal it's location in the future. She wasn't quite sure when she had begun liking the boy on the neighboring branch,but the moment she had realized it had been the scariest moment in her life. 

Certainly, she had seen boys she had thought to be cute or handsome plenty of times, and Shikamaru was obviously neither. It was something in his character. At first, she had found him merely annoying. During their first encounter, he had given up on their battle, stating that he wouldn't fight a girl. She had initialy taken it as an insult, but on looking at it further she realized he was the first boy to see her as a woman, and not just another warrior. 

After that, she had tried harder to prove herself to him. Doing small things that she hoped would impress him. She had taken every job that would possibly bring her to cross his path. She had even announced her desire to become an ambassador for them to their allied village.

"I have to ask." Shikamaru's voice interrupted her thoughts. "How long have you been waiting to kiss me?"

"Um, that first one was a spur of the moment thing." She answered honestly as a blush spread across her cheeks. "I've liked you for awhile though. I think it really clicked back when you led that mission to save your fellow villager."

"And failed." He looked down as he added that part. "What did I do then to make you like me?"

"Nothing really." She admitted. "And I think that's what it was. You were upset, but you didn't cry, didn't really react in general. At your age, that's impressive."

"I only did what my training had taught me." He responded solemnly.

"Still, something told me that if any one of your friends hadn't made it, you wouldn't have forgiven yourself."

"That's where you'd be wrong." He leaned against the branch. "I still haven't forgiven myself."

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Thanks to Angel Rage, harbinger of death and grief, and as always Battosai25! You are all great! 


	12. Chapter 12

Sumi sighed and stared up at the ceiling above her bed. Tsunade had told her that she would be going on a mission tomorrow so that she would be able to get a feel for what they were like.

It was a simple thing, help a healer get to a village so that he could use his skills to stop a small sickness that had been spreading throughout its residents.

Tsunade had assured her that the ANBU would not be following since Jiraiya would be with them, but she expected Sumi to act as if he were not. She had to be able to protect Naruto at all costs. 

She had understood, and it wasn't a hard promise to make since she felt somewhere deep down that she should protect the boy. He was only a year or so younger than her self, but she still felt like she should be responsible for him.

She turned over on her mattress once more. It was the most comfortable thing she had ever had the chance to sleep on, she had never been able to get a restful night's sleep on it. The anxiety added by the new mission had not helped matters.

Finally, she had given up on trying to sleep and looked out at the village from her windowsill. She took a long breath and looked out at the twilight that hung on the horizon. She pulled her night shirt tighter as a breeze played over her skin.

She looked at the fabric she now grasped in her hands. It was the first solid piece of clothing she had owned in a long time outside of her performance outfit. Tsunade had given it to her along with a few other garments that now sat in the closet in her room. 

She was grateful for all she had been given, and even though she was not sure of how things ran in the village just yet, Tsunade was obviously an important person. Sumi felt blessed to be given her protection and all that she had offered.

Still, she felt it was too much, too fast. There had to be a catch. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that she was missing something very important. 

Knowing that she would be nothing but a restless bundle of nerves for the rest of the evening, she left the window and grabbed a flashlight off of her dresser. She stepped out into the halway and began walking towards the room Tsunade had indicated was the library. 

For the short time that she had been here, she had often found herself wandering the halls at night since she could not sleep. Tsunade had suggested that she should take up reading some of the history books they had on the village since they always seemed to help put herself to sleep. Sumi had laughed and taken it for a joke at the time, but at the moment she was willing to try anything. 

She used the flashlight to scan the spines of all the texts. She landed upon a title that seemed interesting enough.: The Hokages: The History of Kohana Villlage. 

She was surprised to find the document was handwritten. In fact, the first pages were yellowed with age while somewhere along the middle of the book they were white and new. She opened the cover and read the first page.

"This is the story of our village, written by those that have experienced it. We, the founders of this fine and peaceful place are keeping this record so that nothing is forgotten, and it shall be passed down to all that protect this great land. Hopefully it can help to guide them on their path so that they may add to its wisdom for those that follow them to use as a guide as well."

Sumi was in awe of what she held in her hands. She had understood that Tsunade was the Fifth Hokage, but the meaning behind that had never been explained to her. She sat in the soft glow of the flashlight, doing her best to make out some of the faded handwriting. It was obvious to her that this was a type of diary used to keep a record of all the important events in the village's history. The story that it was telling was drawing her into a trance that she seemed unable to break out of.

She was startled when a light came on above her and broke the spell the words had over her.

"You'll hurt your eyes if you keep reading like that." Tsunade stated.

"I'm sorry," Sumi looked up. "I couldn't sleep." 

Tsunade stepped over to her and got a look at the book she was reading. She smiled, then took a seat across the table from her.

"My first entry in that book was about the death of The Third, and the events that lead up to it." She sighed. "The second was about Naruto's friend Sasuke. After that, I hadn't even picked it back up. Until you came along."

Sumi was surprised by this statement.

"What do you mean?" I'm no one special. Why would you put me in as part of your village's history?" She insisted.

"Just because you have nothing to do with out village now, doesn't mean you won't become an important part of it later." The older woman's words felt almost cryptic.

A small silence settled in the room as Sumi mulled over the words that still hung in the air. She opened her mouth to speak several times, but then held back..

"I really want to keep reading this," She finally forced out. "But I have to go on the mission you spoke of."

"How's this?" Tsunade offered. "You make sure Naruto comes back from this mission safe and sound, and I'll leave you undisturbed until you've finished reading this book."

"I still want to train too!" Sumi added.

"Then it will be part of your training. All the children read a similar version of this in their classes as children, but it is edited. There's nothing like getting the whole story, and I think it would help you to fit in here better if you knew what this village has been through."

"Thank you." Sumi placed the book down and stepped around the table to give Tsunade a hug. The older woman smiled and squeezed back.

"You should get dressed for the day." She commented. "And go get Naruto so I can assign the mission."

Sumi pulled back and smiled brightly.

"Okay."

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Naruto shifted uncomfortably as he felt some sort of pressure on his chest. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Two blue orbs filled his field of vision. He blinked, and they blinked back. He rubbed his eyes, and heard a familiar giggle. 

"Sumi!" He sat up quickly, causing the girl on his chest to fall backwards onto the bed.

"Yep!" She smiled happily. "Now that you're awake, we can go get our mission!"

"Our mission?" His eyes brightened. "You mean you're coming too?"

"Uh huh." Sumi answered with an enthusiastic nod. "And Sakura and Jiraiya!"

"Sakura's coming?" He asked.

"Yes!" She hissed and pushed him out of bed. "Now hurry up or we'll be late."

"Alright." He grunted and headed for the bathroom. He turned to Sumi before stepping in. "I'm glad you're happy."

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"Now that you've all made it here, I have a very important mission for you." Tsunade stated. There's a small village to the west that is having some trouble with a peeping tom."

"Wait!" Naruto interrupted. "The important mission is to stop a pervert? How do we know it just isn't the perverted hermit doing 'research' for his books."

"Because." Tsunade glared at the boy. "This pervert is snatching some of his victims. Not long after reporting the crime, several young women have gone missing. Your mission is to find them and stop the pervert from terrorizing the citizens."

"Okay." Sumi was trying to act excited, but her disappointment showed through her statement. 

Sakura looked at her two teammates. She didn't know what to say, and she was actually looking forward to this mission since she hadn't been on one in quite sometime.

"Cheer up you two." She smiled. "Naruto, this will almost be like old times. We haven't been on a real mission together since we went looking for the sound village."

This caught Naruto's attention. It had been awhile since that mission and this would be the first time since then that he didn't feel like he was tagging along on some other team's mission.  
"You're right, Sakura!" He grinned wide and put his thumb up in the air. "We will catch this pervert and bring the girls back!"

"Glad to hear it." Tsunade let a smalll smile cross her features. "Jiraiya should be waiting fo you at the village gate."

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"Gai!" Lee hugged his master tightly. "I'm glad to see that you made it back safely."

"I always do." Gai smiled hugely. "What are you doing waiting for me? Haven't you been spending time with Sakura?"

"She left on a mission today." Lee stated brightly. "Besides, I think she only sees me as a close friend, and I'm happy with that."

"You've grown up so much Lee, sometimes I forget how old you really are." Gai rubbed his pupils head. "Soon the teacher might just become the student."

"I doubt that, no one will ever be as great as you Gai!" Lee's eyebrows seemed ready to jump off of his face.

"Ahh, I don't think I'll ever grow tired of that blind hero worship, but I'll do my best to enjoy it while it lasts." Gai thought to himself as he walked listening to Lee chatter on about all that had happened in his absence.

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"What do you think of that girl Sumi?" Temari asked.

"She's troublesome, like all women are." Shikamaru stated without missing a beat. Temari glared at him as the walked at the back of the group of travelers. 

"You're lucky I like you." She said haughtily.

At the front of the caravan, Kankurou and Gaara walked silently. Kankurou kept glancing towards the back of the group, but otherwise kept his eyes trained to the trees ahead.

"I don't like that boy." The puppet master finally said.

"I wouldn't interfere." Gaara stated.  
"Why not?" Kankurou asked. "It's quite obvious that something is going on between them."

"Love is a sacred thing, and I dare not mess with it." Gaara's gaze never wavered from the path ahead.

"Still, I think he's bad news." He shifted the strap on his chest as he moved on.

"Temari can take care of herself." The pale boy stated. "She is truly a lucky soul."

On top of a wagon, Dmitri held on to the reigns of the horse in front of him. Methuselah sat next to him, whispering so that their guides would not hear.

"Something is afoot here." The hypnotist hissed. "They are being too quiet for my liking."

"They're ninjas. What do you want them to do strike up a conversation with us?" Dmitri was becoming irritated by the man's mere presence.. "You should be focusing on your act so that we have something impressive to show these people when we arrive."

"Sorry." Methuselah answered and proceeded to jump from the wagon. He made his way back to one of the carts that served as his quarters and hid himself there so that he wouldn't be disturbed.

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"I'm here for my next mission." Kakashi stated.

"My guess is you finished Jiraiya's book." Tsunade said back.

"I never grow tired of his genius." The man shrugged. "So what do you have for me?"

"Actually, your mission is to stay here and teach Shikamaru's classes." She said in a conversational tone.

"What?" Kakashi was not one to question the Hokage, but this seemed ridiculous.

"You heard me. I need you to teach Shikamaru's classes. He's off on a mission, and to be honest I need you to stay here in the village for right now." She didn't like being questioned, but understood his confusion. "I just sent Naruto out on a mission, and quite frankly you and Iruka have taken to coddling the boy. You always swoop in at the last minute and save him. Well, now it's time for him to grow up and rely on his teammates."

"You say that like you sent him on a dangerous mission." Kakashi accused. 

"No," She confirmed. "Basically, he's out to catch a peeping tom. That just so happens to be accused of kidnapping young women."

"Who did you send with him?"

"Jiraiya, Sakura, and Sumi." She stated simply.

"What! You sent the new girl out?" He yelled. "How experienced can she be?"

"A lot more than even she knows."

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As always, thank you to Battosai25 for your wonderful review! 


	13. Chapter 13

Sumi sat in the tree branch staring up at the stars. She looked down at the tents below where here comrades slept. She chuckled lowly to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she considered someone her friend, much less had a group of them. 

She turned her head when she heard the flap of one of the tents fall shut. Sakura stepped under the branch and looked up at the girl above her.

"You could always sleep in my tent." Sakura said lowly, so she wouldn't wake the others.

"It's no big deal." Sumi kept her attention trained on the sky. "I need to keep watch."

"You don't." Sakura reassured her. "We all have training so that we can protect ourselves as we sleep."

"But I'm supposed to keep him safe." Sumi replied. "I can't do that in the tent." She adjusted herself to be more comfortable. "Besides, I'm used to sleeping in trees."

"Suit yourself." Sakura shrugged. "But we'll be in the village tomorrow, so we'll all have soft beds."

"G'night." Sumi said as if she never heard the statement. Sakura turned and stepped back into her tent.

"Tomorrow." She reassured herself. "I'll ask them both tomorrow."

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"Is it alright if I speak to the Kazekage?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't see where that will be a problem." Gaara answered. "I suspect that you will be warning him of the ringmaster's suspicious behavior."

"So, I wasn't the only one that noticed." Shikiamaru answered.

"I only ask you be good to Temari/" The pale boy said softly. "She doesn't let too many people get close to her." The comment caught Shikamaru so off-guard that he wasn't quite sure if he had heard it.

Both youths entered the room and sat down in front of an older gentleman. They bowed their heads in respect and waited for permission to speak.  
"I see you have returned from your mission, Gaara." The man's gravely voice broke the stagnant silence of the room.

"Yes, Kazekage." He answered respectfully. "However, I and our fellow ninja from Kohana believe that the ringmaster of the circus is exhibiting some suspicious behavior."

"This is the most I have ever heard you speak, Gaara." The old man commented. "For you to voice your concern, it must be serious."

"May I be permitted to speak?" Shikamaru asked.

"You may." answered the Kazekage.

"I feel the same as Gaara in this matter. Not only the ringmaster, but the hypnotist as well. I believe their names to be Dmitri and Methuselah." Shikamaru reported. "While in Kohana they expelled a young woman by the name of Sumi Tsuwamono. The Hokage and I both believe that the young woman was perhaps manipulated and held against her will by the circus, but we are not sure how. We were hoping for help in observing their behavior and making sure that they do not cause trouble anywhere else while they tour our continent."

"I see no reason why you cannot stay here and continue your observation, though I cannot promise any of my own ninjas to help you." The Kazekage answered.

"I thank you for your hospitality and cooperation." Shikamaru answered.

"Gaara, you are free to go. I will have a private discussion with you about the mission later." He then turned his gaze on Shikamaru. "I would like to further discuss with you some matters pertaining to the young woman left in your village."

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"So, she thinks we coddle him?" Iruka was sitting across the table from Kakashi.

"Yes, and now I have to teach a bunch of brats about something or other." The silver haired man answered.

"Um, you do know that Shikamaru is my teaching assistant." Iruka stated.

"What?" Kakashi jumped up into a standing position. "Are you telling me that I'm nothing more than a glorified babysitter?"

"That's not how I would look at it. You're luck she didn't give you something worse. You haven't taken the teaching exam, so you aren't fully qualified to be a teacher in the academy. Shikamaru is preparing to take his the next time the exam is held." Iruka was still smiling, trying to mask his annoyance at having his job belittled.

"I guess I could deal with it for a few days." Kakashi settled down once again and sat back in his chair. "Besides, the mission was only for a peeping tom."

"I guess you're right." Iruka slowly sipped his tea. "If that's all there is to it."

"What I don't see is why she doesn't just use us as a line of defense instead of sending the ANBU? She doesn't' need to have that girl trained to do the job." Kakashi muttered.

"You're just upset because your team has been broken up and you haven't been allowed to go after Sasuke." Iruka pointed out.

"The Fourth would have understood." Kakashi said. "He taught me that a team is a team no matter what, and I can't go after Sasuke without Naruto and Sakura by my side. It wouldn't be right for me to go alone. It would go against the very thing he died doing if I forgot that."

"He gave up a lot for all of us." Iruka agreed. "but we must also respect the wishes of the fifth."

"I know, it just makes it so hard knowing what we have to do in our heads, and what we have to do in our hearts."

7777777

Hi, sorry for the delay, I had surgery on my hand and it takes a while to type with one hand. I just got it out of the cast and hope that I can use it again soon.

Thanks to conlan0414863, InsaneScriptist, Battosai25, and Chris.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Hurry, set that pole!" Dmitri yelled. "We need the main tent up before nightfall."

"This wouldn't be as big a problem if we still had the girl." Methuselah grumbled. 

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you." The ringmaster commented.

"Fine, you keep up the charade as if you could do without her. I guess you can do without me as well." The angered hypnotist stormed away and shut his trailer door.

"I'd be better off without you, ya two-bit hack." Dmitri spat.

"I sense dissention among the ranks." A female voice stated. 

Dmitri turned and came face to face with the girl that had helped to lead them here.

"Nothing I don't deal with on a regular basis." He answered casually. Unsure of how much of the argument she had actually heard.

"Well, something's already different." Temari stated. "I think you better tell me why your friend seems to think that Sumi was so important."

"I have no clue what he means outside of the fact that without her, the rest of the performers have to pick up the slack she left behind."

"I don't know how stupid you think I am." She glared at him. "But I don't believe you. At the same time, I can't prove anything, so you better watch yourself while you're here." 

Temari turned and walked away. Leaving Dmitri to ponder just how much she knew.

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"Did you sleep at all last night?" Jiraiya asked when he saw Sumi still perched in the tree.

"No." She stated quietly, "but it's nothing I can't handle." 

The older man jumped into the tree and placed his hand on her shoulder. 

"We have some time before we set off again." He stated. "Get some sleep. You won't be as sharp if you don't get some rest."

"But…" She tried to argue.

"I'll keep watch." He promised. "It's how we're supposed to do it anyway."

"Okay." She conceded and jumped from the tree. For a moment, she stood confused looking between Naruto and Sakura's tent.

"Use mine." Jiraiya offered when he saw her dilemma.

"Thank you." She smiled lightly and nodded her head.

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"Time to wake up!" 

The pounding on Kakashi's door caused him to grumble as he finished getting dressed.

"How do kids manage to wake up this early?" He asked Iruka as he opened the door.

"What do you mean?" The confused teacher asked. "Don't your missions have you wake up early?"

"Sometimes," He admitted. "But I prefer to sleep in when I'm in my own home."

"But I always saw Naruto and the others waiting for you on my way to the academy." Iruka mentioned as they walked on. 

"Yeah, you saw them waiting." Kakashi pointed out. "I didn't show up until much later."

"Hmm. So Naruto was rushing all those times for nothing?" 

"No, if it was an important mission, I'd be there. Mostly we just did some low rank stuff, so it was no big deal." Kakashi brought his hands behind his head and leaned into them as he walked. "I kind of miss it."

"You know we're all suffering from special circumstances." Iruka pointed out. 

"I know, I guess I just have a little more of a problem adjusting."

"Why Kakashi, I never knew you to be so human." Iruka half-joked.

"It's always been there." He admitted. "I was just able to ignore it until everything I've been taught was disrupted."

"You've always acted so cool, don't tell me the things Orichimaru has really changed you."

"No, I think it all started when I met Naruto."

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Tsunade sat in her chair stroking Ton-ton. The small animal did it's best imitation of a purr as it rolled over to give it's master access to it's stomach. 

She barely noticed as she turned through the pages of the large book that Sumi had been reading. Even though she had added some pages of her own, she had never really read much of the actual content and decided that it might be a good idea.

Some areas were skipped since it was the same things she was taught as a child. It was when she came across the writings of the third hokage that she really focused. It told of many missions, and just about the birth of every child broken down into weekly reports.

Tsunade thought it to be a little pretentious, but it helped her to track the lives of many people that had grown up in the village.

She really took notice around the time he decided her should choose the next hokage and at the time it had already been quite obvious who he would choose.

Flipping through a few more pages she came across the short section that held the writings of the fourth. Mostly it was a documentation of the many techniques he had been working on, including the one that had been his undoing. Still, as she read, a piece of information she came across made her gasp in utter surprise and shock.

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Sumi stretched and yawned as she heard the others moving around outside the tent. The sun was slowly coming over the horizon, making the light mist visible between the trees.

A small tapping came from in front of her tent.

"It's time to go." Jiraiya said softly. 

"Thanks." Sumi answered and stepped out of the tent. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, so she hadn't needed to get dressed.

"We're fairly close to the village." Sakura's voice surprised Sumi. "We can get baths once we're there."

"Okay, thanks." Sumi managed a tired smile. Then, she began helping pack items around the camp. 

Once everything was together, they took to the trees once again. For some reason Sumi's head felt a little clouded and achy, but decided not to say anything about it.

They were coming upon the edge of the woods when Sumi was hit by a jolt of pain so unbearable that it caused her to miss her next branch and fall to the ground. She tried to concentrate on sending her vines out to catch her, but the pain was making it to hard. 

She was expecting to hit the ground, but was surprised when a set of arms caught her. Not caring who it was she just gripped her head and tried her best to ride out the pain.

"What's wrong, Sumi?" She heard the voice, but couldn't tell whose it was. The only answer she managed was a low whine. She furrowed her brows and shook her head. She did her best to open her eyes, but what she saw was not the forest.

7777777 Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter:  
Omnikaze, gazer of life, Achalon, and the ever vigilant Battosai25. (Sorry, the action didn't happen this chapter, but it is on it's way. It's almost like you're reading my mind before I think of things.) 


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks to TudeDeluxe and Battosai25.  
I wanted to get this chapter out. I'm moving tomorrow and will be without internet for a few days. Enjoy! 

**_Chapter 15_**

Sumi looked around at her strange surroundings. The place seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She was lying on her back, which was to be expected since she had just fallen out of a tree.

She tried to move, but couldn't seem to make her body work. A man's face appeared above her own, and she felt herself being lifted.

"How's my little girl?" She heard the man ask. There was no time for her to take the scene in as his face dissolved and was replaced by those of the three people she was traveling with.

Sumi sat up so suddenly that she knocked her forehead against Naruto's.

"OW!" Naruto grunted.

"Where am I?" Sumi jerked her head back and forth while blinking her eyes uncontrollably.

Sakura placed her hands on Sumi's shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked the frightened girl.

"I was in the tree, my head hurt really bad, then there was this man's face.." She shook her head again. "..but he disappeared."

"Your eyes were all funny, like they are when you use your tattoos." Naruto stated.

"You gave us all a bit of a scare." Jiraiya said. "Sakura tried to use some healing techniques, but she couldn't find anything physically wrong."

"I'm sorry for scaring you." Sumi hung her head.

"It's ok." Sakura reassured her. "How about you and me go take a bath? I got passes from the innkeeper for the local bathhouse. I'm sure it'll make you feel better." She gave Sumi a smile that wouldn't let her refuse.

"Sure, that might be just what I need." She smiled, stood up and followed Sakura to the bath.

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"Good morning students." Iruka said cheerily.

"Good morning, Teacher." The class responded. Kakashi was propped up next to the blackboard with a bored look in his eyes.

"Class, Shikamaru is on a mission at the moment, and until he comes back, Kakashi is going to help me." Iruka motioned to the very uninterested figure.

"He's so awesome." a small female voice came through the crowd. It was followed by a cacophony of giggles and comments.

"Class, that's quite enough." Iruka calmed them down. "We need to review our homework from last night."

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"Ahh, you were right, Sakura." Sumi mused as she sunk into the water.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "And because of the peeper, we have the place all to ourselves."

"Yeah." Sumi closed her eyes and the two sat in a companionable silence.

Sakura decided that this was as good a time as any to ask her big question.

"Um, Sumi?"

"Hmm?" She never even opened her eyes.

"You know how we have different levels of ninja?"

"Yeah?" She sunk a little lower into the water.

"Well, you see…" Sakura was interrupted as Sumi suddenly shot up out of the water and kicked the wall leading to the outside.

"Come on," she shouted. "I think that was the peeper!"

"How did you?" Sakura got up to follow, not caring that each were still in their bathing clothes.

88888888

"Seems like our bait worked out." Jiraiya stated as the sound of breaking wood reached his ears.

"Takes a pervert to catch a pervert." Naruto stated as he stood up from where he had been seated and ran out towards the bathhouse.

He came up just as Sakura was emerging. He fell into step next to her.

"Where's Sumi?" He asked.

"She's already up ahead, chasing him." Sakura answered. "Funny thing is, she heard him, when I couldn't sense him at all."

"Weird." Naruto commented. "We better get up there, I don't know how much better her fighting skills have gotten, but I don't want to risk it."

88888888

Sumi was running as fast as she could, but she was beginning to lose track of her target. All she was following now was a shadow dashing through the woods. She couldn't let him get away. As she ran, she concentrated on the tiger. She needed to have him out before she hit the tree line or else she would run smack into a trunk.

As the creature emerged it fell in step behind Sumi just long enough to position its head and flip her on to its back. Then it picked up speed to catch up to the prey.

Sumi could feel the leaves whip past, but had no idea where they were going. She took a moment and concentrated as hard as she possibly could. She felt a mental barrier that was keeping her from her goal, and calling on all the power she could manage, used it to crumble the blockage.

In a flash, she could suddenly see, but it was through the tiger's eyes. She watched as it came closer and closer to it's target.

Finally, she could tell that they were close enough to use the vines. The problem was, she wouldn't be able to see if she used them. She only had the ability to concentrate on one at a time if she were trying to see, and the tiger was the only one with eyes for her to use.

"I trust you." She whispered to the tiger, and felt herself go blind again. Visualizing the distance she had seen in the tiger's eyes, she sent out the vines to catch the person that had been peeping on her.

Sadly, it didn't work, the left one missed completely and the right one had only managed to trip the offender. This closed some of the distance, but not enough for the tiger to pounce.

"Sumi, are you ok?" Jiraiya's voice surprised her slightly, but she kept on the trail.

"Yes. Haven't lost him yet." She responded.

"The others are close behind." His voice seemed to fade as the tiger sped up once again. There was no way they were losing this man, and then there were the girls to find.

88888888

"I can't believe this was such a well kept secret." Tsunade whispered to herself. She read the entries over once again. Not sure if what she was reading was true.  
"Still, it makes a lot of sense."

It was at this point Ton-ton decided it was time for a walk outside. After giving a squeal and nudging Tsunade's hand, Ton-ton growled when the only response she gave was a gentle stroke on the head. Not one to be ignored the pig took action in the form that got the most attention the last time it was employed.

Spotting the cup and saucer on the table, Ton-ton got into position for the trick learned earlier that week.

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"I can't believe she's that fast!" Naruto exclaimed.

"And she's barefoot." Sakura added. The two were jumping through the trees in an attempt to cover more ground and catch up to Sumi.

"Hey! It's the perverted hermit!" Naruto shouted.

"Hurry!" Jiraiya shouted back. He summoned a large frog just in time for the other two to hop on. "She's riding a tiger, it's the only way for us to catch up."

The trees whipped by as the amphibian took huge leaps.

88888888

She was close now, the tiger's eyes wouldn't lie to her. The shadow was becoming more solid, more human.

She was close enough now that she could hear the short gasping breaths it took. It wouldn't be long now. She could feel the moment of tension as the tiger readied to pounce.

She pulled from it's consciousness just as she felt the weight of it under her tense from contacting with the ground. She jumped off of the tiger's back and as she landed released the vines once more. This time, they made contact and constricted around their intended target.

Sumi yanked hard with the intention of slamming the culprit into a tree, instead, she ended up looping the vines around a branch. This caused the captive to hang from the branch.

It was at this point that the others had shown up.

"Wow! That was awesome, Sumi!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped off of the frog.

"How did you pull it off?" Sakura asked. Sumi turned her unseeing eyes in their general direction.

"You mean he's actually tied to a tree?" She wasn't exactly sure what she had managed to do.

"More like you hung him from the tree, but that's still impressive." Jiraiya commented. "Damn it!" Sumi muttered. "I guess all that matters is we got him, right?"

"Let's just see who 'he' is." Sakura walked up to the body hanging in the tree. "You caught a man in a pig costume." She stated flatly.

"It's a boar! Not a pig." The person shouted.

"Excuse, me?" Sumi asked as she withdrew the vines. The person's body made a loud thud as it fell.

Lying there on the ground was a person dressed like a large brown pig.

"You've got to be kidding me." Naruto grumbled.

"How dare you!" The person shouted. "Now I won't take you ladies to be my brides." This earned him a pounding from all of the teenagers present.

"Where are the girls?" Sumi asked as she gripped the offender's collar.

"You better start talking, and I mean quick, ya pervert." Naruto followed up.

"You dare speak to the great Chou Hakkai in such a manner?" The creepy pig-man sneered.

"Oh great, he's nuts." Sakura sighed.

"I guess I'll just have to feed him to the frog." Jiraiya interrupted. The pig-man's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Oh, screw this, they aren't paying me enough." He ripped off his costume's head and pulled out a piece of paper. "The girls are all here. It was a gimmick. A stunt. To attract people to this new hot springs resort. I was suppose to stake out bathhouses. Scare women, then 'spirit' them away to the resort. Problem is none of them have wanted to leave yet, so no one knows about it."

"Well, this was a bit of a let down." Sumi grumbled.

"Yeah, that has to be the dumbest marketing scheme I've ever heard of." Naruto commented.

"Coming from you, that means a lot." Sakura agreed.

"Well, let's go get the women and report back to Tsunade." Jiraiya sighed.

777777

Hope this is enough to hold you over until I get set up again. I do have to put out a challenge though. I post this story on both media miner and fan fiction, and I have to say that both sites get pretty close on the number of hits for the story, but fan fiction is winning in the review department. Media miner has zero and at last check Fan fiction has 28 I don't want to see who can give me the most reviews, but who can give me the best! I want to know what I can do to make this story better for you. I already have the basic story and most pairings set up, but the more enjoyable I can make this story for you out there the better!

So, lets see who's the best at critiquing me!


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you Battosai25 for making the winner of my little challenge. Rishan, you got the reference! Thank you for correcting the spelling, I just used the closest spelling I could find, thought it would be the lamest marketing ploy ever. Guess I was right. 

Well, I decided to take a small break in unpacking and bring you this chapter, hope you like it.

_**Chapter 16**_

Tsunade read the page over and over again, not believing what she saw. It seemed to make sense, but made everything seem so surreal at the same time. She was ripped from her revelry when a crashing sound came from her right. She turned to see Ton-ton sprawled on the floor with her now shattered teacup and saucer spread in pieces all around. Shizune burst through the door.

"Are you alright?" She asked quickly.

"I'm fine, but I think Ton-ton needs some air." Tsunade commented without moving.

"Are you slacking again?" Shizune's expression grew serious. "I could have sworn that's the same book you were reading when you started this morning."

"I've come across something very important." Tsunade had returned to her reading. "I would appreciate it if you took Ton-ton and left me alone for awhile."

"What?" Shizune picked up Ton-ton as she circled behind Tsunade. "Are you researching some new healing spell?"

Tsunade lunged forward and folded her arms over the book.  
She glared hard at Shizune.

"Forgive me, but this is something I would rather have you not see until I look further into it." Without further question, Shizune stepped out of the room.

88888888

All around there were women in towels. The steam obscured most of their faces, but it didn't prevent Jiraiya's imagination from going crazy.

"This place would be perfect for research." The drool dripped from the corner of his mouth. Naruto had his back to the scene, but chose this moment to yell at the old man.

"Neither of us should be here, especially you." He did his best to turn the old man around. When it didn't work he used his Sexy Jutsu to grab his attention.

Sumi blinked in surprise at the sight of a female Naruto leading away the dumbfounded hermit.

"That has to be one of the creepiest things I've ever seen." She commented.

"One thing I can say for Naruto is that he's always had a certain level of respect for a woman's privacy." Sakura commented. "Maybe it's because he's spent so much time as one keeping the old man in line."

"If you are all done with your little conversation," The man in the pig suit interrupted. "I still have a problem. None of these girls want to leave."

"I think I know what to do." Having retrieved their clothes before following the man to the hot spring Sumi once again had her large pants. She reached into a few of the pockets and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper.

"What are you…." Sakura began to ask Understanding dawned on her as she saw what Sumi was up to. After she finished with the pen, Sumi placed it back in her pocket and stepped over to the nearest woman.

"Excuse me, miss?" Sumi tapped the woman's shoulder to gain her attention. "I'm delighted that you are enjoying your stay with us. I was wondering if you wanted to settle the matter of your bill…."

"Bill?" The woman snatched the piece of paper from Sumi and took a hard look at it. "Five hundred thousand!"

This grabbed the attention of everyone else in the room, and three seconds later there was a stampede of women trying to leave.

"Women like that make us look bad." Sumi dusted herself off.

"Isn't that just like a woman. Ducks out just as the bill arrives." The single comment put the costumed man at the mercy of two angry teen-age girls.

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"Are you sure you're okay with this." Temari walked hand in hand with Shikamaru down a street in the village. "Garaa might see us."

"I have a feeling that he already knows about us." He casually said.

"Really?" Temari perked up a bit. "You told him?"

"Nope, that would have been too troublesome." He gave her a lop-sided grin to show the comment was in fun.

"Oh, so he told you he knew." She grinned back.

"Pretty much." Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the sky. He looked at Temari from the side of his eye. "So, you up for a little investigating?"

88888888

"It was nice of the owner to let us stay here in return for getting rid of all the women." Sakura sighed.

"Yeah, but he really needs to work on his marketing strategy." Sumi agreed. She laid back on the bed and snuggled into the pillow. "I didn't realize how tired I was.'

A soft knock on the door got the attention of the two girls.

"Yes?" Sakura called to the door.

"It's me." Naruto called from the other side. "The old man won't shut up about all of the story ideas he got today. I was wondering if I could use your spare bed."

"I don't see that being a problem, do you Sakura?"

"Just don't act stupid or perverted and I think we'll be ok." Sakura yelled to the door. Naruto entered.

"Thank you." He said. Once his head hit the pillow, he passed out.

"Dealing with that pervert can take a lot out of you." Sakura said.

"Mmm…hmm.." Sumi answered drowsily.

"Sumi, how did you hear that guy today?" Sakura asked.

"Don't know….relaxed…" Her voice was heavy with sleep.

"Sumi?"

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to know, there's this….." She stopped when Sumi's light snoring joined Naruto's.

"I'll get a chance to ask them. Maybe." With that thought, Sakura put her head on the pillow and joined her companions.

88888888

"I'll pick this back up later." Tsunade stretched her sore muscles and stood. "If what that notation says is true, his life just might change."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Well, there didn't seem to be anything suspicious about the show." Shikamaru commented.

"Oh, and I bet that means the whole event was 'troublesome'." Temari schooled her features to do her best impression of the boy beside her.

"I never knew how cute I was when I said that." He responded. Temari blushed as he placed a kiss on her nose.

"Well, don't get so full of yourself." she teased. "I think your smile is much cuter." With that he gave her a grin and she smiled back and squeezed his hand. 

"You know, the circus leaves tomorrow." He said.

"Yeah." Temari sighed and looked up at the sky. "The ninjas from the next village are already here. Are you going with them?"

"It is part of my mission." He said

"It would make more sense if I went, they might get suspicious if you're the only one following them from village to village." She pointed out.

"I didn't plan on letting them see me." He responded.

"Well, I'm still going to see if I can go." Temari argued. The sound of a slight wind caused them both to turn. Gaara appeared at the sound's source.

"The Kazekage wishes to see you." he stated, then turned and walked away.

The two gripped each other's hand, then headed to where they were summoned.

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Once they had reached the chamber of the Kazekage, both youths were seated.

"Temari, I did not call for you." The older man said. 

"I'm sorry, but I must ask something of you." She stated.

"It can wait," The Kazekage answered. "I must speak with the young man next to you first." He lifted up an old worn photo of a young girl with bright blue eyes and very dark hair. "Do you recognize this child?"

Shikamaru stared at it for a moment. About the same moment realization hit him, he heard Temari gasp.

"She looks a lot like Sumi." She said, then immediately covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to speak out of turn."

"This time it is not a problem." The old man said. "It only confirms my suspicions." He laid the picture back down on the table.  
"It was a mission I was given by the previous Kazekage, but I had failed.

"A man had come through her looking for his lost daughter. The two of them were the last of their village. Apparently, he had remarried, and since the daughter had not shown any trace of the blood limit he possessed, he assumed she didn't have it.

"One day, while out on a mission, her power somehow manifested itself. He was not sure of what happened, but he did know that it scared his wife, and she threw the child out in the streets.

"Upon his return home, he found was furious, and immediately left to find her, but she was no longer in the village. He took it upon himself to find her. He was on her trail when he came through this village. He asked for our help, and left the photo.

"He continued on his search, and the mission fell to me. I was not able to find out too much. I did however come across a small lead. Apparently, so had the girl's father. I found his body lying on the ground. For such a skilled ninja to be taken down." The man hung his head. "I never did find her."

"So, someone in the circus murdered Sumi's father?" Shikamaru asked. The older man just hung his head.

"Not just that, I believe she witnessed it." He responded. Temari couldn't help but look appalled. Shikamaru absorbed the information carefully and brought his hands into their thought position.

"That would explain a lot." He kept his eyes shut. "A trauma like that would make her more susceptible to any type of brainwashing or hypnosis they might have done. They may have held her in a small dark place, threatened to do the same to her if she disobeyed. Not uncommon techniques."

"So, she remembers nothing of her father?" The Kazekage asked. 

"No." The younger man answered. "She was actually working for them, by the looks of that picture she couldn't have been more than six or seven."

"It's been over ten years now." The answer was full of remorse. 

"I want to help." Temari interrupted the silence that had begun to creep in the air. "Make it my mission. Its shame doesn't sit on your shoulders alone, but on the entire villages. Allow me to make it right." The silence returned as the request was considered.

"You have my permission." He said. "Though there is nowhere to return the girl, you may investigate her father's death, and bring in those that deserve to be punished."

"I am honored to do this." She responded.

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"It feels kind of weird to say this, but it feels good to be home." Sumi said.

"That's right," Sakura answered. "With the circus moving all over the place, you never had a place to return to."

"That's why it felt weird to say that." She gave a big sigh as they entered the village.

"As good as it might feel, you need to have Tsunade look you over, that was quite a spell you had on the way over there." Jiraiya stated.

"She's fine!" Naruto said. Sakura looked her over, she just didn't get enough sleep."

"Still…." The old man began.

"Sumi, you up for some ramen after we talk to Granny?" Naruto asked.

"I think Jiraiya is right." Sumi answered. "I have a few things I need to talk with her about." She perked up a little. "But I'd be glad to do it tomorrow. I'll even treat!" 

"You got a deal!" He smiled.

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"Well, I'm not looking forward to another day of this." Kakashi stated.

"I have to say, I've never seen my student's so excited about coming to class." Iruka stated.

"Don't forget, drinks are on you tonight." The annoyed ninja commented.

"We have to make it through the day first."

"Don't remind me."

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"I'm sorry, she's not available at the moment." Shizune said. "She had an emergency patient to attend to this morning, but I'll be more than happy to take your report and hand it to her."

After the debriefing, Sumi headed straight for the library. She decided she could catch up on her reading while she waited for Tsunade. 

When she entered, she noticed that the book she was looking for was sitting open on the desk. She was about to turn back to where she had left off when something caught her eye.

A noise caused her to look up, and she saw Tsunade standing in the doorway.

"I guess you know." was her only statement.

"Does he?" Sumi asked.

"No," Tsunade answered. "But I think it's better off that way."

"But," Sumi began to argue.

"No, Naruto must never find out that the Fourth was his father."

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I finally have some people on media miner to thank, so I would like to mention them first:  
DarknessReader and White Alchemist Taya

Thank you for your - Guess you finally found out! Thought about holding it off another chapter, then decided now was as good a time as any. Though I thought it was kind of obvious in general.

Rishan - glad you agree with me! 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sumi stared sullenly at the bowl in front of her. She had no idea what to do. She couldn't tell Naruto, she had promised Tsunade, but as a friend she didn't like to keep secrets from him. She was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder.

"Sumi? Are you feeling ok?" Naruto asked. "You're only on your third bowl." She just blinked at him for a moment. Trying to think of what she could say without blindly blurting out her dark secret.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to put this, but" She fumbled for how to put this bit of information. "I won't be able to see you for awhile," The statement caused Naruto to drop his chopsticks. 

"What?" He wasn't sure what she was saying. "Why?" 

Upon finding out about Naruto's father, Tsunade told Sumi that she needed to keep away from Naruto until she had learned enough control to not let it slip out by accident. She was permitted the last meeting so that she could give him an explanation. Knowing that she would not be able to lie to him, they came up with one that would also be a truth.

"Tsunade wants me to start some intense training." She turned her head back towards her bowl and stirred the contents as she spoke. "Apparently, she has a very important mission for me, but won't tell me what it is until she feels I'm ready to handle it. So, she putting me through some specialized training. I won't see anybody while I'm doing it. She wants me to put my full concentration into it."

"I guess I understand." He squinted at her a bit. Then turned back to his bowl. Suddenly he wasn't as hungry as he thought he was. "You have to promise me something." She took a moment to look over at him.

"What is it?"

"You have to teach me whatever cool new technique she shows you." A big grin came over his face that caused her to smile back.

"I'll do my best." She felt bad leading him on like that, but she liked him better when he was happy.

"You'll have to fight me too." He added. "If your gonna be my bodyguard, you're better be able to protect me from myself." He meant it as a joke, but it gave Sumi a bit of a shock. The off-handed comment reminded her of some of the finer details she had read in that text the night before.  
"Sure." She said, trying to keep the shock from her face. Then, she turned and they finished their meal in companionable silence.

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"Who's going to run things while you're gone?" Shizune asked.

"You are of course." Tsunade responded. "You practically do it now, only difference will be that you won't be going on any missions."

"What about appearances? You know you've got the…"

"That's two months away, and I will be back in plenty of time for that." Tsunade cut her assistant off. 

"Do you really think this girl is worth it? Even you said.." Shizune let the sentence hang this time.

"Were you worth it, Shizune?" Tsunade asked. "Besides, I think there's more to this girl than even she knows, and I'm going to find out what it is."

"What about the hospital? I may be able to handle one job or the other, but I can't do all of your normal duties, plus your tour with the patients."

"Use Sakura." Tsunade responded. "What she can't handle, you can do and she can take care of paperwork. If you still have problems, consult the elders. Sometimes you have to rely on many people to get work done. There's no shame in it."

"I just want to make sure this isn't an excuse to fall back to your old ways." Shizune chided. "If I couldn't keep you from making all of those bets, Sumi doesn't stand a chance."

"Don't worry." Tsunade confirmed. "We won't be near any villages for this training. She'll be kept in complete isolation."

"Then why are you packing all of those books?"

"I made a promise that I intend to keep."

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"We need to keep far enough away the group doesn't notice us." Temari said.

"And the other ninja's have been informed of our presence." Shikamaru said. 

"I'm going too." A calm voice interrupted their preparations.

"Gaara." Temari stared at him with an open mouth.

"I'll be walking with the circus themselves. It only makes sense, since you followed them here from your village." He directed his statement towards Shikamaru. "It will be a long journey, and it is their final stop before they head back to wherever it is they came from."

"So, this Is our last chance to find out what happened all those years ago." Shikamaru shifted into his thinking position. "This truly is troublesome." Temari placed her hand on Gaara's shoulder and pulled him to the side.

"Why Gaara?" she asked.

"Her father apparently loved her." His voice never showed any level of emotion. "No one had the right to take that love away from her." He walked away leaving Shikamaru and Temari alone once more.

"Love seems very important to him." Shikamaru observed.

"He didn't have very much of it growing up, and even though he tried to have him killed, I still think the murder of his father affected him." She stated.

"I think in a way this might be a chance for him to avenge his own father's death." He never moved from his position. "Since Orichimaru is out of reach at the moment."

"That's what bothers me." She sat down next to him. "He hasn't even met Sumi. He may not be as cold-hearted as he once was, but he hasn't shown anyone any form of kindness since he was very young. Even if he's trying to change, nobody does it overnight."

"We have bigger concerns at the moment." He reminded her. "Let him do as he wishes. Our biggest concern is figuring out what's really going on with that circus."

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"I can't wait for Shikamaru to get back." Kakashi sighed.

"You were the one that decided to cut your vacation short, besides, I thought you liked working with me." Iruka teased.

"Only when you're not so damn cheerful." He replied. At that moment, one of the children passed as he was doing laps. Her eyes grew wide and a grin spread across her face.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn." She shouted as she giggled and ran past.

"Now you've done it, Kakashi." Iruka stated before he ran over to quiet the child before the others started to imitate. 

"What?" He shrugged and muttered under his breath. "Doesn't matter anyway, they always end up using it on a daily basis by the time they graduate."

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"I'm wary of the red-headed boy." Methuselah commented. 

"What does it matter?" Dmitrii replied as he prepped his horse. "The last village had one of their own follow us."

"Yes, but we had never been to that village before. We've been here, and they didn't have anyone escort us ten years ago."

"That was ten years ago." Dmitri mounted his horse and looked down on the other man. "Besides, there's barely anyone here that remembers us still around. Even their leader is different. No one can suspect us for what we have done."

"I highly doubt that has been what's bothering me." Methuselah answered.

"You have nothing to worry about, you didn't kill the man." The ringmaster reigned in the horse to get him walking. "My only regret is that we haven't replaced our main attraction. I would have been sure that she'd come after us by now."

"I told him we should never have returned to this place." The hypnotist walked over to his own wagon to get it on its way.

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"I did what you asked me to do." Sumi replied lowly. Tsunade brought her hand to the girl's chin and gently lifted it so she could look her in the eye.

"I know it's hard, but the only way he can find out is if he becomes Hokage himself." She replied. A tear welled in Sumi's eye.

"He said that I'd have to fight him when I got back." Sumi pulled out of Tsunade's grasp. "He smiled and said that I'd have to get strong enough to protect him from himself." She looked down as she wiped her eyes. "I know he meant it as a joke, but knowing what I know….."

"And that's why we can't tell him. Only by becoming Hokage will he have gained the strength needed to handle the news. Otherwise, it might be his undoing."

"I can understand, it would tear me apart inside if I found out both my parents died because of my birth." Sumi stared at her feet.

"They didn't die because of him." Tsunade told her. "You read it just as I did. They both sacrificed themselves to save the village and allow him to live. In a situation such as his, a cursed existence is better than no existence at all."

"It's just so sad."

"It's also a part of life, now grab your stuff, we have a lot of ground to cover before we reach our destination."

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"Oh, hi Shizune." Sakura greeted. "Have you seen Sumi?"

"Tsunade has taken her for training, why?"

"Oh, no reason, I just wanted to ask her something." Sakura turned to leave.

"Sakura, hold on." Shizune came over to her. "Tsunade asked if you could cover her hospital shifts in her absence."

"Sure, how long will they be gone?" She asked.

"From what Tsunade was saying, about two months."

"Two months?" Sakura was crestfallen. "By then it would be too late."

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I'm bringing this to you a little early thanks to the following people!

Crimson Edge and RavenThornheart! Thank you so much for your support, hope you enjoy this chapter. 


	19. Chapter 19

**_Chapter 19_**

"Alright, Sumi." Tsunade shouted, "Now that you have the tiger under control, try to send out the vines"

"But I'm already looking through the tiger's eye's." She responded. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Channel your chakra. I know that Sakura went over it with you." Tsunade explained. "You aren't using it yet are you?"

"Not that I can tell, I've never tried to use it outside of the clone jutsu." Sumi replied.

"Concentrate on channeling your chakra into your arms. Imagine it flowing through your body like a river." She watched as a look of concentration crossed Sumi's features. With her pupil-less eyes looking out it was a very intimidating site. "Direct that river into your arms, Feel the vines become solid."

Sumi's arms began to glow lightly with the power she was putting into them. Suddenly, her eyes shut, and her brows knit in obvious pain. Her legs seemed to give out and she stumbled back a bit. The tiger seemed to sway a bit as well. Tsunade made a move to catch her, but stopped when she regained her own footing. Sumi brought her hands up to the side of her head and shook it as if something was trying to escape. The Tiger was repeating a similar motion, though its large paws stayed firmly planted on the ground.

"Come on Sumi." Tsunade called, "You can do this. Concentrate."

Sumi's head suddenly snapped up as if she had forgotten there was anyone else around. When she revealed her eyes, they were no longer their usual pale blue, but black, lined in red.

"You." She rasped out. She brought down her hands and took two steps forward. The tiger fell in step beside her. Both of their gazes seemed to look just past Tsunade as if they were seeing something that she could not.

"Sumi, what's wrong?" Tsunade asked. A look of pure hatred crossed the young girl's features.

"You killed my father!" She screamed. "Why?" She seemed to hear a response to her question, though nobody spoke. The answer only seemed to upset her more and she charged.

Tsunade stepped to the side to get out of the way and watched as Sumi attacked the air. Both releasing her knives and shooting out the vines. While at the same time having the tiger attack. It seemed that she was about to hit her mark when she suddenly stumbled, and all of her tattoos, including the tiger retuned to their original places. Tsunade made it just in time to catch her body before it hit the ground.

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"I didn't notice it when your other comrades were around, but you don't speak very much do you?" Dmitri asked Garaa. The youth had chosen to walk next to the ringmaster on this particular trip.

"I'm just completing my mission." He answered in monotone. His eyes never moved from the horizon.

"You're a strange boy." The man commented.

A safe distance away, Shikamaru and Temari were tracking the caravan.

"I'm not sure what we're going to find out about something that happened ten years ago by following them around." Temari commented.

"Don't just assume." Shikamaru answered. "Solutions sometimes come from the least like likely places."

Suddenly, a loud rustling was heard in the bushes. A group of birds flew out from the underbrush. The couple could sense the large animal's approach, but were helpless to stop it unless they wished to blow their cover.

"We'll have to leave this to Garaa and the others." Shikamaru whispered. To remind himself just as much as Temari. They watched as the large cat jumped from the bushes with a loud growl.

The animal was gigantic. It loomed over the caravan as it pounced. The entire group screamed and ran to escape the titanic monster's wrath. Garaa simply glared at the creature before encasing it mid-pounce in a cocoon of sand and easily ending it's life. Witnessing this feat, an evil glint entered the ringmaster's eyes.

"Methuselah, I believe we've found our next act."

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Shikamaru and Temari watched as the giant cat pounced on the unsuspecting travelers. However, when everyone ran away from the cat there was a lone figure that made a bee-line for the forest. Intrigued by this person's behavior, the two decided to pursue the fleeing figure.

When they caught up, they found an older man huffing and puffing his way through the bushes. Shikamaru snuck up on him and grabbed him from behind while covering his mouth. Temari jumped in front of him so that he would know there was no use in escaping.

The man began mumbling behind the hand that covered his mouth so Shikamaru brought it away from his face.

"Do whatever you want with me, just don't make me go back there." He pleaded. This caught both of his pursuers slightly off-guard.

"What do you mean?" They both asked.

"My name is Gilbert. I used to be the ringmaster, until those two monsters took over."

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"Please, I want to learn a new technique." Naruto pleaded. "I need to get stronger!"

"No." This was answered by all three men sitting at the table. Kakashi, Iruka, and Jiraiya continued their card game. Naruto turned his back to the group and pouted.

"I heard you're coming out with another book soon." Kakashi commented, ignoring Naruto's little outburst.

"Yes," Jiraiya answered. "I got quite a bit of inspiration on that last mission."

"Doesn't take much to inspire a pervert." Naruto grumbled. Iruka gave Jiraiya a stunned look.

"Don't tell me you took him into one of those scenes your always writing about." He chided.

"It was all for the sake of the mission." The elder man just smiled and blushed slightly.

"More like I had to get you out." Naruto turned and shouted at the man. "Now stop being a dirty pervert and teach me something!"

"You know what you have to do if you want me to do that." Jiraiya simply stated. Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Sexy no Jutsu!" He went up in a puff of smoke and in his place stood a very beautiful and very nude woman.

"Please teacher," he said in his sexiest female voice. "come help me become stronger." Then he blew a kiss in Jiraiya's direction.

"Okay, let's go." He stood up and left his cards on the table. Iruka and Kakashi just stared.

"I never thought to use that move against him." Iruka stated. "Jiraiya is wiser than I thought."

"Or he's just a dirty old man." Kakashi stated.

"That too." He replied.

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"Those he could not get to join him were hypnotized, enslaved, or killed." Gilbert said. "I was made to clean up after the horses and elephants."

"When did you manage to break the hypnosis?" Temari asked.

"That was their idea of a sick joke." He replied. "I never was under hypnosis, but they said if I ever tried to escape, they'd kill me."

"How long ago did they take over your circus?" Shikamaru asked.

"A little over ten years ago." He replied.

"Do you know what happened to Sumi, then?" Temari jumped in before Shikamaru asked.

"That poor girl." Gilbert hung his head. "Not everyone can just be hypnotized. They have to break you first, and my did that girl have a lot of spirit to break."

"We know that she was found on the street, but beyond that, we are trying to find out what happened." Shikamaru told him.

"That's not true." Gilbert said. "He saw the girl playing in her yard as we went through her village. The night we left, he broke into her house and took her away. I know they made the mother think she had thrown out the child to avoid having it reported, but they didn't think there was a father.

"He came, and as part of their horrible torture, they killed him right in front of the poor girl. Then, they made her strip the body of all its valuables. As if that wasn't enough to break her, they kept her locked in a trunk until there was no more spark left in her eyes.

"That sort of thing makes it easier for them to take hold of their victims, Once they had her, they created whatever memories they liked for her and had them using her power for whatever they could think of.

"One time, she escaped, tired of whatever they were doing to her. I was happy for her. Hoped she could get away. Didn't work though, and she came back with these tattoos, that caused them to make her their main attraction. Still, you could tell that she wanted out. I'm surprised they let her go this late in the game. What changed their minds?"

"Well, most of these villages are full of ninja." Shikamaru explained. "In fact, that's why we're here now. We were sent to find out what's really going on in this circus and stop them from doing anything else."

"I wish you luck, but is there anything you can do to help me?" Gilbert asked.

"I'll take you back to my village." Temari stated. She turned to Shikamaru. "Then I'll come back and rejoin you." He just nodded in response.

"Thank you so much, and good luck." The old man followed Temari as she lead him away from the caravan.

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Thank You, gazer of life for reviewing. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Sumi, wake up." Tsunade knew that the girl was physically fine, but she wanted to find out what had caused her to react so strangely. 

"Hmm." Sumi squeezed her features together and rocked her head slightly. "Wha…what happened?" She blinked and looked around. "Why am I on the ground?"

"Sumi, do you remember what you were doing?" Tsunade asked as she helped her sit up.

"I was channeling the chakra, like you said." She looked at her hands. "I pictured it as if it were water, but it felt like there was something holding it back. Keeping it where is was, so I tried harder, and whatever it was seemed to burst open, after that, I woke up looking at the sky."

"Has this ever happened before?" Tsunade asked. 

"Yes, I mean, No. It wasn't like this before." She brought her knees up to her chest and her arms to her head. "What's going on? What's wrong with me?"

Tsunade gently placed her hands on the younger woman's head to calm her down.

"Calm down, Sumi." She spoke softly. "How many times has this happened?"

"Once, almost twice before this, while we were on the mission. I was going to tell you, but got sidetracked by the thing with Naruto." She brought her hands down and wrapped them around her knees. "The first time, I hadn't had much sleep, and we had gotten an early start, I got this headache, and the next thing I know, everyone's asking me if I'm okay. The other, I was relaxing, and somehow, I heard the guy sneaking outside of the bathhouse and took off after him. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing. I hadn't blacked out, but before I realized it, the guy was hanging from a tree. I hadn't told the others that it happened, I didn't want them to worry about me."

"Oh, my." Tsunade bent over and hugged her. "I hope Shikamaru returns soon. So we can fix whatever it was that circus did to you."

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As the sand came back down to rest, Gaara glanced at the two men that suddenly appeared behind him.

"Kid, how would you like to join our circus?" Dmitri asked. "I could hire you as our personal bodyguard and maybe you could do a show or two." He stuck out his hand. "What do you say?"

Gaara stared blankly at the offered hand, and silently turned his back on it. He started to walk away when Methuselah stepped into his path. 

"I don't think you understand the very generous offer we are making here." He brought his face down so that he was touching Gaara nose to nose.

"My duty is to my village. I care not for your 'generous offer'." He coolly replied. Methuselah pulled out a hand that he had been hiding behind his back. In it he held a very large club.

"We asked nicely. Now it's time to do things our way." Methuselah swung high and heavy. One of the ninja had come from the front of the line to find out why the rest were lagging behind. He prepared to make a move, but stopped when a wall of sand blocked the offending weapon. Caught off guard by this defense, neither the ringmaster, or Methuselah noticed when the sand under their feet began to swirl. 

Suddenly, it burst up from the ground, and wrapped the men up to their necks.

"Is that what you did to her?" Gaara stalked forward. Shikamaru jumped from out of the bushes revealing his presence.

"You!" Dmitri shouted. "You shouldn't be here! Why are you following us?"

"I asked you a question!" Gaara glared at the men and squeezed the sand a bit tighter. "Is this what you did to her? Is it what you did to her father?"

"Who are you talking about?" Dmitri demanded. Methuselah was too busy cowering to say anything. Shikamaru stepped up.

"He's talking about Sumi." He said.

"That girl?" Methuselah suddenly found the power to speak. "I swear I had nothing to do with killing her father, I just found out…." Gaara flashed his glare on the man.

"Then I have no reason to keep you alive." He enveloped the sniveling man in sand and squeezed it so tight, the only trace that there had been any one there was the dark stain of blood on the ground.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Some of the caravan had returned and found the current scene.

"That's right." Dmitri smirked. "You just failed your mission! You were supposed to keep us safe, but instead you're killing us."

"My mission was never to keep you safe." Gaara answered as he put his own face in Dmitri's "Now tell me. Why did you rob that child of love?"

"She's no child, she's practically an adult!" He shouted back. Doing whatever he could to avoid his comrade's fate.

"She had love, and you took it away!" Gaara shouted and grabbed the ringmaster's throat with his bare hands. His lips pulled back into and angry snarl. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO TAKE THAT AWAY!" 

Shikamaru had no idea of how to approach the situation. He knew that Gaara was much stronger than himself and something about the current situation was making him very hostile. He could hear the gurgling noises as the man gasped for air.

"Gaara!" He shouted. "And what right do you have to take away her chance at vengeance?" This seem to hit a chord with the crazed boy, and he slowly let the gasping man fall to the ground. 

"You're right." He whispered. "I cannot allow him to live, but I cannot take away something that is not rightfully mine." He imprisoned Dmitri's body in sand. "I will take him back to your village and let her decide his fate. I'll give them a full report. I assume that Temari took the man that ran away to safety. You fill her in then you can return home. I'm sure the current ninjas are fully capable of handling the rest of the situation." 

Shikamaru nodded as he walked away, then turned to head for the sand village.

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"Please!" 

"No! You have yet to fully master Rasengan. You still treat it like a toy." Jiraiya stated. "It took the Fourth years to create, much less perfect that move. You've barely trained with it. I doubt you're ready to learn something new."

"You're a boring old pervert." Naruto complained.

"You want a challenge?" Jiraiya asked. "Yes." Naruto stood up straight and focused his eyes.

"Make it using only the red chakra." The old man stated. "Without losing control of it, or yourself." He turned and walked away.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

"You have your challenge." Jiraiya responded.

"Yeah? And what do I get if I achieve that?" The boy shouted back.

"If you ever do it, you'll find out then." With that, he jumped into a tree, ignoring Naruto's rants about old perverts being unfair.

777777

I had a strike of inspiration, so I updated twice in one day. Enjoy!

Thanks Battosai 25 for reviewing the last chapter! 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Naruto sat under a tree and focused on his hands. He knew how to feel for the fox's chakra, but short of putting himself into a near death state, he had no idea if he could get the demon fox to cooperate.

Deciding on a course of action, he began to meditate. It was something he knew how to do, but just didn't do it very often. He was never one that liked to sit still, so this was especially hard for him.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the tree. He took a few deep steadying breaths and tried to focus on the spirit that was living within him. He felt the breeze pass along his face and ruffle his hair. If anything, this was a bit relaxing, but it was no time for a nap. 

A rustle in the bushes caught his attention. He turned to see a bird shoot out from the bush next to him, but jumped suddenly when Gaara filled his field of vision.

"What the..?" He gasped.

"Where is she." Gaara stated. Naruto quirked his headand raised an eyebrow, not only did he appear suddenly, he was carrying a large bundle over his shoulder.

"Who?" He asked.

"The girl. I must speak with her now." Gaara's voice cracked a little with urgency. Naruto closed his eyes and narrowed his brows while he rubbed his chin in thought. 

"Girl, girl." He suddenly perked up and snapped his fingers. "You must mean Sumi!" Then he dropped his shoulders and a depressed look came across his face. "I can't really tell you, she's off somewhere training with Granny Tsunade."

With that, Gaara jumped back up into the trees and was out of site before Naruto could react. Stuttering and shouting in the general direction that he took, Naruto started to give chase.

"Hey! Hey! HEEY! Wait up! I want to see her too!"

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"So he's killed one and taken the other to you're village?" Temari asked.  
"Seems like it," Shikamaru stated dryly. "Though, he did scare me a bit."

"I knew I stood have stayed." Temari hung her head. "He still losses it sometimes. Not like before, but still."

"You did what you had to do, and so did he. Honestly, I'm surprised he let the ringmaster live." They were jumping branch to branch in hopes of reaching Sumi before Gaara.

When they made it to the village, they headed straight to the Hokage's office, only to find Sakura sitting at her desk.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked.

"Looking up a the recipe for a medicine they need at the hospital." She answered.

"Where's The Hokage?" He asked.

"She and Sumi are away training." She was about to ask why he needed to know when he grabbed Temari's hand and pulled her out of the doorway and drug him behind her.

"Oh, no!" She said as she took back her hand. "We may be too late. If he's still in the state he left in, there's no telling what might happen."

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"C'mon Sumi, we have to try again." Tsunade said. She Lifted the young woman up and brought her into a standing position.

"I feel kind of weak, I'm not sure I can.." She responded. Tsunade's attention was pulled away from her as the older woman turned toward the patch of woods behind them.

"You can come out now." She stated, and Gaara stepped out of the shadows. "I'll assume that man slung over your shoulder is responsible for this." She nodded and the girl in her arms.

"Is she Sumi?" He asked, recalling the name Naruto used.

"What?" Sumi turned to face the conversation that had begun behind her. When Gaara finally saw her face to face, he felt a bit shocked, though older, she didn't look much different from the photo, only the happiness that came from the picture was replaced by a look of tired despair.

An anger he was never aware of began to surface. He slung the man from his shoulder and kicked him.

"Look what you've done!" He stooped down and grabbed the man's head, forcing him to look at Sumi. A look of shock passed the girl's face.

"The ringmaster, but…." She suddenly grabbed for her head as if she were hit with a large amount of pain. She quickly stilled and her head shot up, revealing that she was once again in an altered state.

Horror was the only word that could describe what came over Dmitri's face. He actually began pressing himself against Gaara.

"No! She broke the seal!" He scrambled to break free of the grasp around his head. "Keep that thing away from me!"

Tsunade quickly grabbed Sumi before she even tried to move. When the crazed girl realized she was being restrained, she began to struggle. It was only due to her tremendous strength that Tsunade was able to keep from being thrown.

"Let me kill him!" Sumi screamed and pushed against the older woman's arms.

"You better tell me what you did to her!" Tsunade shouted over Sumi's wails.

"It wasn't me!" Dmitri shouted back. Gaara tightened his grip around the man's head.

"Now is not the time to lie." He spat at the man. "I already know that you killed her father and brainwashed her, so what else did you do?"

"I didn't do this! It was a monk!" Dmitri pleaded. "She used to be like this, after we killed her father. Used her as a sideshow attraction, she escaped a few times like this. We called a holy man in, Methuselah rearranged her memories to make her think it needed to be done. She put up less of a fight that way. I swear! I have no idea what they did, and you already killed one of them!"

"HE MUST DIE!" Sumi strained against the weight Tsunade pressed on her to keep her back.

"It's obvious she wants her revenge." Gaara stated. "Let her have it."

"The problem is," Tsunade did her best to explain. "She won't remember it. She doesn't remember things after being like this."

The information hit Gaara like a blow, he almost understood what it was like. He didn't have time to consider this fact since Sumi suddenly flipped her captor over long enough to expose the tiger tattoo. 

The large cat sprang from it's master's back and leapt at the defenseless ringmaster. Gaara barely had the time to react as he threw up a wall of sand to block the attack. He felt the initial impact, but was surprised to see the tiger's claws slowly emerging from within the sand.

"It must be an illusion." He reasoned.

"The tiger's made of Ink!" Tsunade shouted. "It's pushing it's way through the miniscule cracks that exist between each grain of sand!"

"Then, excuse me for having to do this." He said. Gaara stepped out from behind the wall of sand. Though it was making it trough, the tiger was still extremely slow in it's progress. He carried Dmitri by his throat, letting the man's feet drag on the ground. He glared at Sumi, and met her angry gaze. If he had been any less trained, what he saw reflected in those eyes would have scared him down to his soul. Showing no emotion whatsoever, he repositioned the man, and in clear view snapped his neck.

"There." He let the man's body fall to the ground in front of him. "He's gone." Sumi's eyes narrowed in anger.

"You bastard! I was supposed to kill him!" She screamed.

"If you must, then kill me for taking it from you." He simply replied. In utter rage, Sumi growled and bit down on Tsunade's arm. Resisting the urge to release her, Tsunade lifted her other arm.

"Forgive me, Sumi." And she landed a hard blow to the girl's head that caused her to pass out. Immediately, the tiger dissipated and Sumi went slack in Tsunade's arms. "Dispose of the body, then return to explain exactly what has been going on." Gaara nodded even though she was not looking at him and did as she requested.

Upon his return, Sumi was laid out on a blanket in the shade. The look on her face was that of innocence and peace, closer to the one he had seen in the picture.

"She's never killed a soul has she?" Gaara stated.

"If she has, I doubt that she was fully aware of it." Tsunade said. "From what the ringmaster said, we don't know how much of her memory is real."

"I know how that feels." Gaara said. "To be manipulated, denied who you are. I would never wish it on another soul."

"I have a serious question for you Gaara." Tsunade turned to him. "Why hasn't anyone from your village attempted the Chunin exam since that horrible incident?"

"We all feel partially responsible for the trouble." Gaara stated.

"Well, it's returning to our village this time, and I want you and your team to try again." She stated. "Besides, I'm sure Sumi would want to thank you."

"Thank me." He spat out slowly. "She wants to kill me."

"For protecting her." Tsunade stated. "Even if it was from herself."

"A shinobi must learn to kill." He said. "It's not like I've never done it before."

"But.." She prompted.

"I would do anything to protect a soul like hers from such a fate."

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Thanks Kira, for your review and being so insightful!

Also, I'm sorry for this one to be running late. I'm in the process of starting an AMV contest on anime music videos .org So, I've got a little on my plate, If anyone here is interested in entering, the contest is going to be called Done To Death, The AMV Graveyard. You have to be a member of the org to enter, but it's free, and you might enjoy it!

Currently, it's under discussion in the AMV suggestions forum, but I plan to get it started in the contests area in a bout a week or two, I have a few more rules to work out, so enjoy! 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Temari and Shikamaru had come across Tsunade and Gaara as they were discussing the next exam. Finding that they were too late to prevent the ringmaster's early demise, they were relieved to find that Gaara himself had calmed down and were going over the facts of Sumi's past with Tsunade.

"From all that we have been able to gather, this is the best scenario I can come up with." Tsunade explained.

"Somehow, all of Sumi's village save her father and herself were destroyed. She must have still been an infant, but her father took her to a new village where he remarried and they started a new life.

"How their lives were at that time is still a mystery, but we do know that Sumi was just discovering her blood limit when that Dmitri character came across her.

"She was abducted from her home while her father was on a mission. Being around eight years old, she would have received some basic ninja training, so this explains why she was able to pick up on it so easily. Still, it proved a problem for the ringmaster, it meant she was not as easy to control as he had hoped.

"Her father came home to find her missing and went after her. He stopped in the sand village on his search where he left the picture. Sometime after that, he found the circus."

"Where they killed him in front of her." Gaara Stated. Tsunade nodded.

"It caused her to go into such a rage that she could barely be controlled." Tsunade continued.

"So, they took her to the monk that put a seal on her. Her memories were altered to suit them until she decided to run away.

"That's when she encountered the monastery in the mountains and gained her tattoos. She was then betrayed, and the circus recaptured her. That basically brings us up to the point hat they arrived in the village."

"Well, the seal's been broken, what do we do now?" Shikamaru asked.

"Those are demons that she alone will have to face." Gaara whispered. Everyone turned toward the figure that was sleeping under the tree.

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"Awe, " Naruto grumbled as he flopped onto the ground. "Which way did he go?"

As good as he was at tracking, Gaara was better at avoiding being tracked. This fact annoyed him just as much as his inability to find out what was going on with Sumi. With a final grumble, Naruto adjusted his position and once again tried to meditate.

He closed his eyes and focused on blocking out all of his other senses. The world around him was dark and silent. A slight breeze rolling across his face caused him to open his eyes. Instead of the forest that he had expected to see, he was still surrounded by darkness. He looked towards the source of the breeze and turned to face it.

With that motion, he realized that he was no longer sitting, but standing and he could feel water around his ankles. It seemed to be flowing from the same source that the air was emanating. 

He began following the sensations to their starting point when he was met with the smell of rotting meat. He readjusted his headband to cover his nose and mouth so that he could breathe a little easier. A small pinpoint of light. Slowly but surely, it grew. As he came upon it, he could see that the light was dim and barely illuminated his surroundings. 

The water he was wading through was dark and the air was barely breathable. Wisps of the stench hung in the air glowing from the small amount of light they absorbed. Soon, he found himself in front of the familiar chamber that held the fox spirit.

"What's happened?" Naruto called out to the darkness behind the bars.

"You did." The fox's voice was quiet and barely audible. "It's bad enough that I am trapped here, must you torture me too?"

"What do you mean?" The confused youth asked.

"Your self-doubt has been eating you from the inside, causing this horrid stench."

"Self-doubt?" Naruto shook his head. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"At best I can estimate it to when you failed to bring your friend home. He beat you to within an inch of your life, and I had to come to the rescue once again." The fox-spirit hissed.

"Rescue! Apparently he was too much for you as well!" The boy shouted back.

"The despair you felt at not being able to help him hindered me." The spirit glared. "As much as I hate to admit it, even without me here, you do have extraordinary power. I don't know where it comes from, but it is enough to keep me here and prevent me from using my full potential. Maybe that's why you of all people were chosen for my prison."

"That doesn't explain anything!" Naruto grumbled.

"It explains much. Your strong spiritual power manifests itself in many ways. Lucky for you, the stench isn't nearly as bad as it once was. Did you recently find your comrade? I am only vaguely aware of what occurs when I am not aiding you." The spirit seemed to have a disinterested tone.

"No." Naruto hung his head and the stench grew. 

"Well, something must have happened!" The fox quickly stated. "it must have something to do with the other strong power I sensed. What was that?"

"Huh?' Naruto jerked his head up. "Are you talking about Sumi?"

"Is that their name?" The fox noticed the smell recede slightly at the reminder of this person. "Tell me about them."

"I didn't think you cared what went on in my life." Naruto gave the nine-tails a suspicious look. 

"I am interested to find out about such strong presence." The fox hoped the boy would take the bait. Lucky for him, this was one topic he was more than eager to speak on.

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Sumi groaned as she opened her eyes. The pounding in her head seemed to recede as the world around her came into to focus. She was lying on her side and could make out the figure of Tsunade seated and talking. The person must have been sitting in front of Tsunade since Sumi couldn't see them.

"What happened?" Sumi mumbled as she attempted to sit up. The sudden movement caused the throbbing to flare back up.

"Don't push yourself," Tsunade rushed over to Sumi's side. "You had a blow to the head, I was afraid you weren't going to wake up."

"Did I fall out of a tree again?" She asked. Shikamaru strolled over to her. He must have been the person Tsunade was talking to. He gave her a sad smile and bent down to help her up.

"I'm sorry, that was my fault." He said. "Tsunade asked me to help test some of your skills. I guess you still need to work on them. I forgot how easy it was to attack you."

Sumi didn't miss the small look that crossed Tsunade's face before she placed a fake smile on her face.

"That's right. I'm sorry, Sumi." She rubbed the girl's head affectionately, careful not to cause any more pain. Sumi was too disoriented to press the subject, but suspected that they were both lying.

"So, when are we going to continue with my training?" She asked.

"How about we get a meal into you, then we'll work on self-defense, since it seems to be a problem." Tsunade suggested. 

"I'd love to continue helping, but I have a class to help teach." Shikamaru stated.

"Do me a favor, and don't tell Naruto about this, okay?" Sumi asked.

"Okay, but why?" He asked.

"He'll be worried, and I don't want him to think that I can't even defend myself. If that's the case, how can I defend him?" She answered.

"It would also be best if he didn't know where we were." Tsunade stated. Shikamaru nodded and jumped into the trees without even uttering a goodbye.

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As Naruto finished his tale for the demon fox, the air was almost breathable.

"She seems unaware of her own vast power." The fox answered. "It also seems that she heals you where others could not."

"What do you mean?" The curious youth asked.

"She's helped you restore some of your fiath in yourself. Not to mention given you something more to work for."

"You really think so?" 

"If anything else, she seems like the perfect ally for getting that boy back."

"What makes you say that?" Naruto gave the spirit a queer look.

"From a tactical standpoint, She's perfect." The fox explained. "She has a tactic that can only be used by those of her bloodline. Since it has no seals, and uses no chakra there is nothing for that boy to copy. I may not know much of what goes on out there, but some of your thoughts and feelings drift down here and I do know of that boy's power."

"Are you suggesting I use Sumi?" Naruto looked appalled. "I would never…."

"As a ninja, this would appeal even to her. If it were a mission, she would be ready to do anything to accomplish it, and if what you've told me about her is accurate, I do not see her refusing this, or taking it lightly. Just consider it."

"That's all beside the point. I came here to talk to you about sharing your power a little more freely. I'm told it is the only way I could learn a new move."

"So, it's ok to use me?" The fox commented. 

"Let's get serious." Naruto's voice lost all emotion. "You and I both know that the only way for you to get out is by me dying, and I don't intend to do that any time soon. So, it would probably be best for both of us if we work together. 

"I will be Hokkage one day, and if you want to fight me the whole way, I'm sure I could find out how to get rid of you entirely. If you work with me, I'm sure we could find some way for both of us to live a little happier in this situation."

"Boy, a little more of my power is seeping into you each day. Who's to say that I won't eventually take over?"

"You would have done it already, while I was at my weakest." Naruto crossed his arms and smirked. "I think we both know that you're afraid that one day you will no longer exist. Work with me and I will do my best to make sure that is not the case."

"You're more perceptive than you let on." The fox stated.

"Let people see how smart you are from the start, they tend to expect more from you. Come in looking stupid, and your window of surprised is opened that much more."

"Using perception and first impressions as a weapon?" The fox seemed to smile. "We may get along just yet.. I agree to lend you more of my power, but in exchange, you have to allow me out once in a while, not just when you fight or train, but when you do simple things as well. For once, I would like to enjoy the feel of the sun in my face instead of worrying about fighting off an enemy."

"I think you have a deal." Naruto agreed.

"One day, you must let me meet this Sumi. Her tiger spirit sounds interesting, but if they can work together, I don't see why we can't." The fox retreated into his cell to indicate he no longer wished to talk..

When Naruto reemerged into the physical realm, he opened his eyes to find the sun had set. He made his way back to the village with no thoughts in particular on his mind. Just enjoying a feeling of peace he had not felt in a long time.

88888888

"Finally, it's over." Kakashi sighed.  
"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Iruka laughed.

"Let's just say I won't be applying for the teaching exam anytime soon."

"I don't know, I don't thing the girls have ever paid so much attention in my class." Iruka smiled as Kakashi rolled his eyes. "How about I buy you another round?" 

"I thought you were already paying. Of course, I'm getting another round."

7777

Sorry for the delay. Had it typed, just got really busy and forgot to post it.

Thanks to Kira,Battosai25, and RavenThornheart for your reviews! 


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Two months have passed since Sumi and Tsunade left the village to train. Though initial progress was slow, Sumi has proven to be a quick learner and is picking up well on her new skills,

"Ryouko!" Sumi shouted, and suddenly where one tiger once stood, there were now two.

"Very good." Tsunade smiled proudly. "I think you're ready for a sparring partner." 

"I don't know." She replied cautiously. "Are you sure?"

"You really need to work on your confidence." The older woman told her. There's only one month left before I have to return and I will not have the time to further train you. I was hoping to have you ready to go up against Naruto by then."

"Well, if you think I'm ready." Sumi steeled her nerves. "Then I'm ready." 

"Good, they should be arriving anytime now." Tsunade said.

"What?" Sumi's eyes grew wide. "Who is it?"

"If I told you, how would you be able to practice the techniques you've learned.?" Tsunade smiled. "Technically, you can consider this your first test. I'll be leaving you for now. Good luck"  
Suddenly, Tsunade was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, great." She looked at the forest around her. Knowing that she would need to take cover there. "Being out in the open only makes it easier to find you." She whispered under her breath before calling back the tigers and heading into the forest.

88888888

Naruto had spent the last two months bugging Jiraiya to teach him a new move.

"You perverted hermit! I've done what you asked!" He whined and held up his hand to show the man the glowing ball. "See?"

"So you have." He replied without breaking his meditative pose, or even opening his eyes. 

"Grr Perverted hermit! Why won't you teach me anything!" Naruto shouted and stomped his foot in anger. 

"If you keep up that attitude, I won't teach you the kitsunetsuki." The hermit never flinched as he spoke.

"What? That sounds like a kids trick." The boy whined. 

"On the contrary, only a few people have the ability to do that move. You could almost say it was made for you.."

"Made for me how?" Naruto drew out.

"You've obviously made some sort of deal with the fox spirit, am I right?" The older man opened one eye to peer down at him.

"Yes, I have." Naruto steeled his glare. "Now teach me"  
88888888

Sumi crouched low on a branch. Certain she sensed a pursuer. 

"Believe it or not, I'm ready for you." she whispered. "Kyaa!" She jumped off the branch and landed in front of a very surprised and frightened squirrel. "Damn." she whispered as it skittered away, then she suddenly threw herself against a nearby tree trunk.

The burst of wind would have knocked her on her feet if she had not used the tree for support. 

"Seems you're still just as blind as when we last fought." A voice taunted. "Only this time, I know not to hold back." Temari dove from the branch with her fist out. Ready to punch.

"Kuroninku!" Sumi shouted at the top her lungs, and Temari was suddenly suspended in mid air.

"Wha? How did you?" Temari attempted to struggle, but couldn't budge. Sumi grinned darkly. 

"If I told you, then the other one would know my trick." Then, she took to the tree branches.

Temari was left in her position., motionless. 

"Don't think he'll be so easy to beat." Muttered. Suddenly, she fell to the ground with a loud thud. "Ow."

"Don't worry." Tsunade said. I wasn't going to let you hang there all day, but it's probably best it happened this way."

"Why do you say that?" Temari asked.

"If she wants to fight at the same level as Naruto, what better way than to train with a rival"  
88888888

"Now, to master the kitsunetsuki, you must be able to communicate with your fox spirit on a more personal level. Not just when you need power." Jiraya stated.

"I know, and I've already gotten that far." Naruto grumbled.

"How many times have you let him walk around in your body?"

"None." Naruto said, crestfallen.

"Then let him. That's the first part, you have to be able to let him walk around as you, without controlling you, so for the next week. You are going to allow the fox spirit to walk."

88888888 Sumi kneeled on the ground, watching, waiting.

"Do not think I will fall into your trap so easily." A cool voice echoed through the trees. "I have seen the ink you so carefully put into the cracks of the bark. Clever, but not enough."

Sumi suddenly felt the ground underneath her grow soft and start to shift. She tried to jump, but the sand flew up and held her in place. In front of her, a pillar of sand began to rise. Struggle all you want, I command the sand in much the same way you command the ink." She had yet to see who was behind that flowing wall of sand, but she knew that she was already at an advantage.

"That would be nice." she stated. "If it were the ink I had control over. Ketsukijunkan!" 

A strange sensation suddenly came over Gaara. It caused him to stumble a bit, but he still held her firm with the sand. A sudden thought occurred to him.

"Blood." was all he stated. 

"You figured it out." Sumi laughed. "That move alters your circulation system and since the blood flow and chakra are so closely tied together both get interrupted."

"You haven't won yet." Gaara stated and used the sand to squeeze her a bit tighter.

"I didn't want to use this." Sumi squeezed her eyes shut in concentration. "Chimome!" Suddenly, Gaara felt as though his body was covered in small pricks of pain.. He knew that nothing had made it through the sand shield, but when he looked at his arms he noticed small red dots appearing on his skin. As they began to grow, they became more and more painful.

Suddenly, a pain so sharp, it caused him to fall backwards and loose his concentration, thus dropping the shields and Sumi.

As soon as she was free, she tore off her arm warmers and released the vines to bind Gaara in place.

"That will be quite enough." Tsunade jumped down from the trees. "Gaara, you have qualified for the mission. Do you accept?"

"Gaara? Mission?" Sumi suddenly released the vines in surprise. "Oh my! You're Gaara?" She ran over and put her arms on his shoulders and began rambling. "I'm so sorry! From what I understand, I should be thanking you! Tsunade told me you kept me from doing something very bad, even though I don't know what. Are you OK?" 

Gaara saw the look of concern in her eyes, and before he even realized he was speaking, he heard his own voice answer.

"Yes. I accept the mission."

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Short after such a long delay, I know, but I've been spending the time researching and coming up with new moves. I've got about 25 so far to work with.

Thank you to everyone for their reviews. You guys keep me inspired! 

Hope you enjoy the update. 


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